Committee Members Join Principal Searches

School Committee · Meeting of October 26, 2026

Newton School Committee members joined principal search panels for the first time, drawing questions about how the change was announced. Dr. Juani Santa, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources, told the committee central office staff fell from 227 to 173 since 2022, prompting Mayor Laredo to say "we didn't drop a quarter of the staff," a claim Santa partly disputed, saying "that's not true, Mayor Laredo." The committee voted 9-0 on its consent agenda, a bus contract item and school improvement plans. Superintendent Nolan said a survey of 122 peer superintendents found 80 percent have committee members on principal searches.

Member Jonathan, a North parent serving on the Bowen search panel, objected that families were told "this school committee had decided" to add members when no full vote occurred. Preliminary enrollment came in at 11,052 students, 166 below projection.

In the full story:

• Public Comment: A Hiring Controversy Sets the Backdrop
• Consent Agenda and Transportation Contract
• Superintendent's Update
• Human Resources Annual Presentation
• School Committee Members Joining Principal Search Committees
• Preliminary Enrollment Report
• School Improvement Plans, Second Read and Vote
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 2,826 words

Source: the School Committee meeting of October 26, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.