Weymouth School Committee unanimously names Curtin interim superintendent, ratifies ESP contract

WEYMOUTH -- May 23, 2024, Weymouth School Committee unanimously appointed Assistant Superintendent Melanie Curtin as interim superintendent and ratified a landmark three-year contract for educational support professionals at its May 23 meeting. The committee voted unanimously on both items; Curtin's one-year contract was set at the same rate as her predecessor, former Superintendent Wargo, who had recently resigned. WEA President Dr. Mike Murphy called the 2023-2026 Unit D collective bargaining agreement covering ESPs across the district "the best contract they have ever gotten" after roughly two and a half years of negotiations. Assistant Superintendent Brian Smith outlined a phased plan to open Johnson School as a ninth elementary school beginning in fall 2025 at an estimated incremental cost of $470,000 in year one, rising to $786,000 in new funding by year three. The meeting drew sustained public criticism over the elimination of STEAM specialists at elementary schools, part of roughly 12 primary-level positions cut in a second round of reductions tied to a cumulative $5.2 million district budget shortfall.