Cristiano named Chairperson of School Committee; Lambert co-chair

By Neil Zolot

Ward 3 member Jeanne Cristiano was elected chairman of the School Committee at the reorganizational meeting Tuesday, January 2. All present members voted for her, with Mayor Carlo DeMaria and member At-Large Joseph LaMonica absent. She said she would be a “servant of this body and will speak very rarely.”

“If I do, I will recuse myself from the chair. There will be no undue influence from the chair. This past year has been tumultuous at best, but this is a new year and a new beginning. We can work if we all work together,” stated Cristiano

“Overcrowding must be addressed,” she added. “I hope we can find a way to do so. We can’t do it alone. We need help to have the Mayor and City Council on board. It’s abundantly clear our schools are bursting at the seams. We don’t need another taxpayer funded study. We can see it with our own eyes. This issue has a serious detrimental effect on student outcomes.”

(The city is currently pursing aid from the state School Building Authority (MSBA) to build a new High School, which DeMaria envisions being at Rivergreen Playground. Under his vision, the current High School would become a Middle School, removing Middle School-aged students from the K-8 neighborhood schools.)

She also suggested the chairmanship and vice-chairmanship be joined as co-chairmen and a code of ethics be instituted for the School Committee. “We need to be held to a higher standard,” she feels.

Cristiano’s name was placed in nomination by member At-Large Samantha Lambert, who was later elected vice-chairman. She said Cristiano “believes, as I do, in the importance of the chair as a servant of this body. She is committed to radical transparency so no member of the public has to wonder what’s going on.”

After being elected vice-chairman she said, “I will work for our students. They’re number one.”

City Clerk Sergio Cornelio administered the oath of office.

New members were excited to be there. “I’m very excited to begin the year,” Ward 1 member Margaret Cornelio said. “I promised my voters I’ll be independent.”

“I’m excited to be here and get to work,” Ward 2 member Joanna Garren added. “I’ve been frustrated a long time, which is why I ran. Hopefully, we can get things moving.”

“It’s exciting,” Ward 6 member Joseph D’Onofrio said. “I’ll try to stay positive.”

In his remarks to the school committee, Superintendent William Hart stated, “If we’re all doing the business of education, there should be no issues. If you stick to the business of what a School Committee is supposed to do, all the other stuff is extraneous.”

He was named permanent Superintendent December 20 under a 4-and-a-half-year contract, which will expire at the end of Fiscal Year 2028, July 31, 2028. If an agreement is made for him to continue after that, a search process will not be necessary. He was hired as Interim Superintendent in November.

The meeting was called to order by senior member Maroney Almedia-Barros of Ward 5. At its outset he called for a moment of silence in memory of recently deceased former member Allen Panarese.

“When I was first elected, he was a member and welcomed me,” Almeida-Barros recalled. “There are no words to express our gratitude. He worked hard day in and day out advocating for our students and the district.”

There will be a formal inauguration for the members and City Councillors Friday, January 5 at the Saugus-Everett Elks Club, 401 Main Street, Saugus at 6:30 p.m.

The City Council will hold their reorganizational meeting Monday, January 8 and resume regular business Monday, January 22.