School Committee hires two new administrators

School Committee · Meeting of June 29, 2026

ASHLAND — The Ashland School Committee voted unanimously to appoint Denny Conklin as assistant superintendent and Justin Cameron as director of student services, both pending contract negotiations. Superintendent Jim Adams recommended both candidates after screening committees reached unanimous consensus. Conklin, currently assistant superintendent in Dover-Sherborn, described rolling out a new math curriculum by teaching lessons himself, saying "my lesson was supposed to be 50 minutes, and I went an hour and a half." Cameron, principal of Concord Middle School, said keeping students in-district "really saves the town money," relevant after this spring's town budget override dominated community conversation.

Member Marcy Culverwell noted residents often ask "why can't you continue to do it the way you've always done it." Both appointments passed by voice vote with no recorded opposition.

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Source: the School Committee meeting of June 29, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.