To the editor:
As a Marblehead resident, parent and voter, I believe we must continue to move forward rather than backward in this upcoming election. I applaud the new members of the School Committee for their steady work for Marblehead Public Schools. I am voting for Melissa Clucas and Ann-Marie Jordan for School Committee so that this great work can continue. I will also be voting for Erin Noonan for Select Board. The positions stated in this letter are strictly my own based on facts.
Sarah Fox, a two-term School Committee member who lost last year, is running again. She has already begun campaigning with Jennifer Schaeffner, who is now running for Select Board. Although both promised transparency, they did not deliver. They failed to approve and post minutes for their subcommittees for years and stopped posting recordings of some subcommittee meetings on YouTube. Thankfully, these practices ended when new members of the School Committee were elected. Students and parents protested a few of their actions, most recently regarding the new flag policy. Furthermore, they appointed themselves to School Advisory Councils — overriding the superintendent — even though Massachusetts General Law advises against it. The new School Committee does not sit on these councils.
When Ms. Fox lost the election last June, it appears that Ms. Schaeffner appointed her to the facilities subcommittee as a “member of the public” without the full committee’s approval. The new School Committee had to vote to remove her. Ms. Fox has made accusations that the new committee breached the law and wasted money, but public records thus far don’t support these claims. For fiscal years 2024 and 2025, Ms. Fox and Ms. Schaeffner each had a turn as School Committee chair. In that period, their legal fees totaled over $700,000, well exceeding annual budgets. In comparison, our new School Committee has spent approximately $95,000 on lawyers as of April 30.
Despite the state repealing the MCAS as the competency determination, Ms. Schaeffner asked about putting the 10th-grade test back as a local requirement at Marblehead High School.
In addition, their committee let the high school roof project remain incomplete without any type of accountability statement. Back in 2023, Ms. Schaeffner ran on a platform to bring zero-based budgeting to the School Committee, but that did not happen. In 2026, Ms. Fox is proposing the same idea. It is time to move forward.
On June 9, I am voting for Melissa Clucas and Ann-Marie Jordan without reservation. Please join me! Ms. Clucas has proven herself as a competent School Committee member who comes to meetings prepared. She has demonstrated a willingness to do the work and has years of budget experience. Ms. Jordan will bring a fresh perspective to the table with her background as a special education teacher and administrator. The current School Committee majority has been effective. Let’s continue this trajectory!
Samantha Rosato
Martin Terrace
