SAUGUS — Superintendent of Schools Erin McMahon has yet to be provided with a specific allegation against her as she remains on paid administrative leave pending the results of an investigation, an attorney representing her said Tuesday.
Attorney Michael Long, who is representing McMahon, said in a statement that his client “has not been provided with any specific details related to the matters raised by the Committee.” Long did not immediately respond to a request for clarification regarding the specifics of the matters raised by the committee.
McMahon “is confident she has always put the interests of Saugus’ children first,” has been a “careful steward of resources,” and “has always met her legal obligations,” Long said in an email Tuesday morning.
The statement from Long represents the first public comment from McMahon since the School Committee announced she had taken paid administrative leave on Jan. 19 and McMahon issued a subsequent statement on the matter. At the time, Chairman Vincent Serino said McMahon had taken leave with regards to a “personal matter” that should not be considered disciplinary. Committee members have refused to comment, on or off the record, on McMahon’s status since then.
Reached by phone Tuesday morning, Serino said he had “nothing to say” regarding Long’s statement.
McMahon’s Jan. 19 statement alluded to allegations of financial mismanagement, but she vowed to “zealously and transparently defend [her] unblemished professional reputation.”
“Any allegations of wrongdoing on my part are false,” she said “I welcome review and oversight by a qualified professional investigator, I look forward to assisting in an unbiased review, which I hope will be done efficiently and expeditiously.”
“The district’s financial records are audited every year by independent CPAs who have never reported to me that the school department should change or adjust any practices,” McMahon wrote.
The announcement of McMahon’s leave was followed by a unanimous decision by the committee to table the budget she had proposed a week prior. Then, two weeks later, on Feb. 2, the committee voted down the budget by a four-to-one margin and appointed former Saugus High School Principal Michael Hashem as acting superintendent of schools.
In subsequent weeks, after meeting with Town Manager Scott Crabtree, the committee unanimously approved a slashed version of the budget that represented essentially only the funds needed to begin the school year in September.
