Page 2 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, FEbrUAry 21, 2025 FIRING | FROM PAGE 1 decision. “You and your readers will note that the Saugus School Committee has refrained from making any public comment concerning the former superintendent since she placed herself on administrative leave in January of 2023,” the statement began. “Since that time, the investigative report, the former superintendent’s response and the entirety of the disciplinary hearing have been publicly released. Our main focus has been and will continue to be the district and Lawn and Yard Care SNOW PLOWING *REASONABLE RATES * PROMPT SERVICE * PARKING LOTS USA 781-521-9927 Lawrence A. Simeone Jr. Attorney-at-Law ~ Since 1989 ~ * Corporate Litigation * Criminal/Civil * MCAD * Zoning/Land Court * Wetlands Litigation * Workmen’s Compensation * Landlord/Tenant Litigation * Real Estate Law * Construction Litigation * Tax Lien * Personal Injury * Bankruptcy * Wrongful Death * Zoning/Permitting Litigation 300 Broadway, Suite 1, Revere * 781-286-1560 lsimeonejr@simeonelaw.net the students, teachers and support staff . We will continue to refrain from making any public statements.” Serino declined to provide a copy of the arbitration report to The Saugus Advocate, citing the advice of the committee’s attorney. “It’s not public,” he said in an email to the newspaper. However, The Saugus Advocate was able to obtain the report from two sources. Several state websites post arbitration decisions periodically. The decisions are fi led and are the basis for fi nancial settlements. No attorney fees are warranted pursuant to the terms of Section 12.1, which provides “The parties…shall be responsible for their own legal fees.” The arbitrator will retain jurisdiction for 60 days from receipt of the award to assist with issues implementing the remedial order, if requested. She came to Saugus with high expectations McMahon was hired by the School Committee to turn around the Saugus Public Schools (District), which, according to the 2019 state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education report, was on a state watch list. The hiring marked the fi rst time in recent memory that the School Committee approved a fiveyear contract for an incoming superintendent to lead the town’s public education system. Ex-Saugus School Superintendent Erin McMahon addressed the School Committee on the day of her fi ring before the committee voted unanimously to fi re her. (Courtesy photo of Saugus TV to The Saugus Advocate) And no Saugus School Committee has ever invested so much money – close to a million dollars over the life of the contract – for a school administrator. But School Committee members were unanimous in their belief that it was worth every penny that they approved to bring in Erin McMahon with the great expectation that she would drastically improve the town’s school system. The committee members were so impressed with her credentials and her interview that they entered into an Employment Agreement with her for a fi ve year term: July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2026. At the time of her hiring, McMahon was the senior advisor to then-state Education Commissioner Jeff rey C. Riley. She was the committee’s 4-0 unanimous choice to replace retiring School Superintendent David DeRuosi, Jr. Then School Committee Chair Thomas Whittredge abstained from the vote because of a potential conflict of interest, as his sister, Dawn Trainor, is the executive director of Pupil Personnel Services & Special Education – a high administrative position that reports directly to the superintendent. Lack of “good cause” “The School Committee did not meet its burden of establishing good cause for the termination of Dr. McMahon as required by Section 12.1 of the FIRING | SEE PAGE 3 Call Driveways from $35
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