Sharon RESET is a group of local residents formed to promote transparency, community involvement, and good governance in our town politics, especially the school committee. We disseminate information relating to school committee meetings and actions, identify and support candidates who share our values, and organize to make sure the voices of all Sharon residents are heard.

While many Sharonites have assisted by collecting signatures, reviewing town records, and mobilizing their communities – plus the 300+ residents who signed the petition – the core people involved with RESET are Karin Bolt, Ryan Gard, Ally Selya, and Sarah Chiaramida.

Sharon Reset was born in July 2026, when the school committee rushed through the appointment of a new superintendent in a 24-minute meeting. This breach of trust motivated Sharonites to unite and demand better from our elected officials.

Our goal is to ensure all forms of local government function with integrity, trust, and active involvement from the Sharon community, which at the moment, focuses on the school committee. We hope to mobilize the community to secure a vote of no confidence on the record, and encourage residents to vote in fresh voices come election time in May.

The Special Town Meeting for a vote of no confidence will be October 22nd at 7pm in the Sharon High School Auditorium. Here’s what you need to know:

The agenda: our motion is the only warrant up for vote. That hopefully means a speedy, efficient meeting!
Yes or no? A vote of YES means “no confidence.” This means you’re supporting the motion put forth in the warrant.
Childcare: we’ll have local Sharon teenagers available in the SHS family room if you need help watching your littles while you vote. They’ll have coloring books and games to keep the kiddos busy while you exercise your civic duty. You'll also have the ability to vote directly from the family room if you prefer to stay there with your children.
Transportation: if you need help finding a ride to the meeting, email us at resetsharon@gmail.com, and we can help find you a carpool.

In full transparency, yes. Holding a special town meeting comes with administrative and logistical costs, yet those costs would be covered from reserve funds within the FinCom/Town Clerk sector, so there would be no additional cost to taxpayers, nor would funds be taken away from our schools, snow removal, road maintenance, or any other area of need. Of the annual reserve dollars available, a town meeting would use less than 5%.

The cost of convening a meeting is small compared with the importance of ensuring that our local government follows established processes, remains accountable to residents, and gives the community a meaningful voice – ultimately protecting public funds and property values in the long term. We believe these modest costs are justified when the community needs a formal opportunity to address an important issue with its elected officials.

While a vote of no confidence is technically symbolic, it creates an important record of public accountability. It requires elected officials to stand behind their decisions on the record and makes clear to the community where they stand.

Over the tenure of certain current school committee members, they’ve successfully skirted the obligations of their roles by facing no pushback, nor having ever been held accountable for their careless actions. Our hope is that through this established, democratic process, the committee members will take the concerns more seriously and reconsider their actions going forward – almost like a performance plan.

If meaningful change doesn't occur, formally documenting these actions and informing the community ensures voters have the full picture they need to make informed decisions when those officials come up for reelection.

To place a vote of no confidence, residents must first collect signatures from at least 200 registered voters (under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 39, § 10) to call a special town meeting. Once the petition signatures are certified by the Town Clerk, the meeting must then be scheduled by the Select Board within 45 days.

Our signatures on the following petition were submitted to the Town Clerk on September 8th:

We, the undersigned, petition the Sharon Select Board to call a Special Town Meeting, as provided by MGL Chapter 39, Section 10.

The following subject shall be placed on the warrant for the Special Town Meeting:

To see if the residents of the Town of Sharon will vote no confidence in the following five members of the current Sharon School Committee: Daniel Newman (Chair), Adam Shain (Vice Chair), Allan Motenko (Secretary), Julie Rowe and Avi Shemtov

RATIONALE: The actions of these five members of the Sharon School Committee have demonstrated a pattern of conduct inconsistent with the standards of transparency, community engagement, integrity and ethical governance that Sharon residents expect of their elected officials. Specifically, residents have raised serious concerns regarding the conduct of these School Committee members in connection with the appointment of the district’s next superintendent. Their conduct has eroded public trust, destabilized the district and disregarded the educational welfare of Sharon students and staff. The residents of Sharon hold their public schools among their highest civic priorities. The conduct of the named School Committee members places that priority at risk.

The Town Moderator presides over the meeting, enforces parliamentary procedures , and determines how debate is managed. Voters present have an opportunity to speak for or against the motion under the specified article, and then a simple majority vote (more than 50% of present registered voters) is required to pass a motion of no confidence.

This is why it’s so important that Sharonites like you show up to the meeting and vote to say that the actions of our school committee are unacceptable.

An electronic voting system will be used for votes which previously required a standing count and voice vote. Voters will be given a clicker when they check in, and it cannot be traced to you, so your vote will be anonymous. Be sure to arrive to the meeting a little bit early to get your clicker!

Any opinions about Dr. Jocelyn himself or his fitness for the role are immaterial to the core issue of process. Selecting a superintendent is one of the biggest decisions a school committee can make, yet Sharon’s came to this verdict after just 20 minutes, and almost immediately after Dr. Botelho publicly announced his departure.

This isn't about whether Dr. Jocelyn is capable; it’s about making sure our district follows a transparent, thorough process where every voice actually gets heard and the best candidate can emerge after proper vetting.

Under Massachusetts General Law (M.G.L. c. 71, § 59), the school committee holds exclusive legal authority to hire a superintendent of schools and determine their compensation. Districts across the state follow a standardized, highly regulated process governed by Open Meeting Law (M.G.L. c. 30A, §§ 18–25), and public procurement rules (M.G.L. c. 30B). While exact steps and processes vary by district, below is a general outline of the standards for Massachusetts school committees:

Phase 1: Authorization and preparation

The school committee first votes to initiate the search process and establish a budget for recruitment.
Districts frequently (but are not required to) hire external search facilitators, such as the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC) or private executive search firms, via an M.G.L. c. 30B procurement process to manage recruitment and administrative details.

Phase 2: Community engagement and profile development

The search consultant or committee typically gathers input from teachers, staff, parents, students, municipal leaders, and community members.
Based on community input, the school committee defines the ideal qualifications, traits, and priorities for the next superintendent and officially approves the job posting and criteria.

Phase 3: Committee formation and initial screening

The school committee forms a preliminary search and screening committee consisting of school board members, educators, parents, and community representatives.
The search committee or consultant conducts reference checks and initial credential verification, eventually selecting 3 to 5 finalists to forward to the full school committee.

Phase 4: Public engagement with finalists

Once finalists are selected, candidate names and resumes become public record under Open Meeting Law.
Finalists then undergo public interviews with the full school committee. Districts will also arrange community forums, staff meet-and-greets, and district visits for candidates, and typically have candidates complete a timed writing sample to ensure their communication skills meet the standard required of a superintendent.

Phase 5: Selection and contract negotiation

The school committee holds a public meeting to deliberate and formally vote on electing the superintendent, taking into account the feedback obtained in Phase 4.
The school committee completes background checks and negotiates contract terms in open public sessions or executive sessions as authorized by law.

Unfortunately the Sharon school committee circumvented all but the last standard phase in this process – in addition to omitting the due diligence of completing reference and background checks – which is highly unusual, extremely hasty, and even reckless when tasked with such an important decision.

If you'd like to join our efforts to disseminate information relating to Sharon School Committee meetings and actions, identify and support candidates who share our values of transparency and community engagement, and organize to make sure the voices of all Sharon residents are heard, please contact us at resetsharon@gmail.com, and stay up to date through our emails and social channels.

We welcome the support of all Sharonites who care about the integrity of our local government and schools, regardless of age or citizenship status. Even if you're not able to vote, there are still plenty of ways to contribute:

Put a lawn sign outside your home to raise awareness (you can request one here)
Help drive people to the Special Town Meeting who may not be able to drive themselves
Offer to babysit for those who can't attend the meeting without childcare coverage
Spread the word to others in the community – word of mouth is the best way to mobilize!

You can email us at resetsharon@gmail.com if you'd like to get involved.

The actions of our school committee and process behind the superintendent appointment has been a heated topic amongst Sharonites, including the spread of a lot of misinformation. We'd like this to be a place for community members to find facts and data from transparent reliable sources in regards to our local government and school administration.

Who is behind RESET?

What is RESET's end goal?

When's the Special Town Meeting?

Won’t a special town meeting cost Sharon taxpayers money?

A vote of no confidence doesn’t actually do anything, so why bother?

How does a vote of no confidence work?

How will votes be taken at the meeting?

Do you take issue with Dr. Jocelyn as a candidate?

But how are superintendents normally hired?

How can I get involved?

If I'm not legally able to vote, how else can I help?

Facts & FAQ