Norwood School Committee Votes 5-0 to Permanently Appoint Student Services Director

NORWOOD — February 11, 2026 — Norwood School Committee permanently appoints student services director and navigates tight FY27 budget outlook. The committee voted 5-0 at its February 11 meeting to confirm Catherine Davey as permanent Director of Student Services, ending a six-month interim appointment that Superintendent Timothy Luff said followed an extended informal evaluation process in which Davey "absolutely knocked it out of the park." Separately, Luff announced he had transferred elementary Principal Dr. Scarlett Grant to lead the newly reconfigured Willett Elementary School without the open search he had previously promised — a decision member Joan Schietroma said she would have voted against if the appointment were subject to a school committee vote, stating plainly, "when we state we are going to do something, I think it's vitally important that we do it." On the budget, the committee heard that Chapter 70 state education aid will increase by only $265,500 in FY27 — compared to million-dollar-plus gains in recent years — leaving the district facing a structural deficit that could require cuts of $3.3 million to $4.1 million if the town does not infuse free cash, against a prior-year infusion of $7.4 million. Health insurance costs, still unresolved pending Government Insurance Commission rates expected to land between 10 and 12 percent, remain the single largest variable before the March 25 budget vote.