Office of Superintendent
Tantasqua Regional/Union 61 School Districts
320A Brookfield Rd., Fiskdale, MA 01518
(508) 347-3077
FAX (508)347-2697
Deborah J Boyd
Superintendent of Schools
Dear Tantasqua Regional and Union 61 Families,
Welcome to the 2026-2027 school year! I hope you had a fantastic break with your children and did something special with that extra week of summer. I am thrilled to have students and staff walking through our halls once again.
At our welcome back meeting for staff on August 31st we recognized 5 more staff members that have been serving in our District for 30 years and 10 that have been with us for 25 years. We also all welcomed 28 new teaching/counseling staff and many support staff. This is the largest new group in a number of years and I was please to report that almost 70% of the teachers are replacing retirees. Most of our retirees were with us well over 20 years. We are proud to have such incredibly knowledgeable and experienced staff, and yet excited to welcome all of our new team members. We are very fortunate to have community support and a reputation that attracts the most energetic and optimistic educators, bringing us new perspectives to blend with our experiences in servicing students and families. When they come to work at Tantasqua/Union 61, they usually stay!
I shared with staff on opening day that my primary goals for the upcoming year are 1) to develop a new, 3 year District Improvement plan, 2) to improve our school websites and increases use of them, and 3) to facilitate an AI Task force in order to develop policies targeting best practices around AI. Each of these goals will require assistance and feedback from families and communities, so I hope you will consider contributing.
Building based staff, as well as Central Office staff and community partners will be attending our upcoming Back to School/Open House events. The schedule for these events across the district is as follows:
TRSH - September 10th
TRJH - September 17th
Brimfield - September 16th
Brookfield - September 16th
Holland - September 17th
Burgess - September 9th
Wales - September 14th
Finally, I’d like to share new protocols we have put in place to complement our school calendar this year. In order to ensure that students from all religious faiths receive time off from school assignments so that they may celebrate important religious and cultural holidays with their families, this Holiday-Homework calendar will be followed across our districts. Please reach out to your building principal or child’s classroom teacher with any questions once you’ve reviewed it.
I look forward to connecting with all of you throughout the year.
Best wishes for a wonderful school year,
Deborah J Boyd
Superintendent
