EV Vol. 31, No.3 -FREEEVE ER TT A household word in Everett for 30 years! DVOD www.advocatenews.net CCATTEAT Free Every Friday 617-387-2200 Friday, January 21, 2022 Happy Birthday to EHS Girls Basketball Captain Everett Crimson Tide Girls’ Varsity Basketball Junior Captain Kayley Rossi, whose birthday was Wednesday, with Head Coach Riley Dunn. See page 10 for photo highlights. (Advocate photo by Tara Vocino) School Committee considers 90-day hiring freeze By Christopher Roberson I SINCE 1921 Messinger Insurance Agency 475 Broadway Everett, MA 02149 Phone: 617-387-2700 Fax: 617-387-7753 NEW COMPETITIVE AUTO RATES AND BENEFITS AVAILABLE ACCIDENT FORGIVENESS DISAPPEARING COLLISION DEDUCTIBLE 11% DISCOUNT WITH SUPPORTING POLICY 10% COMBINED PAY IN FULL DISCOUNT AND GREEN DISCOUNT 10% GOOD STUDENT DISCOUNT Celebrating 100 years of excellence! Monday thru Friday: 8am to 6pm Saturdays 9am to 1pm! Check out our NEW website! www.messingerinsurance.com n the spirit of transparency, School Committee Vice Chairperson Michael McLaughlin recently suggested implementing a 90-day hiring freeze on positions that are not “classroom-related.” “This is to give us the opportunity to look at where the School Department is going,” he said during the committee’s January 18 meeting. In response, Superintendent of Schools Priya Tahiliani called attention to the district’s staff - ing problem. “We certainly are seeing that there is a staffi ng shortage,” she said, adding that hiring continues to be a challenge. “For every fi ve to 10 off ers we put out, we get several rejections.” Ward 5 School Committee Member Marcony Almeida-Barros was opposed to implementing a hiring freeze. “We are not asking for positions that go beyond our budget,” he said. “Our students need help at this moment.” School Committee Memberat-Large Samantha Lambert said the committee should not be responsible for taking such action. “I cannot support this,” she said. “Our role is not operations; we are a body that runs on policy governance. We have open positions that we desperately need to fi ll.” Therefore, the item was amended so that a hiring freeze would not aff ect the 27 positions currently posted on TalentEd. The committee voted 7-2 to refer the item to the Finance Subcommittee. McLaughlin also proposed a 90-day salary freeze for nonunion employees who are not under contract. “Teacher contracts are not settled,” he said. “It’s only fair that we settle those contracts fi rst.” That matter was also referred to the Finance Subcommittee following an 8-1 vote. In addition, McLaughlin requested copies of certifications for employees who are assistant principals and higher. “Things could slip SCHOOL | SEE PAGE 6
2 Publizr Home