SAUGUS — Belmonte STEAM Academy Principal Rebecca Long quietly departed the district this summer after just one year, making her the latest in a string of administrators hired by Superintendent Erin McMahon, who remains on paid administrative leave, to leave the town’s public schools in recent months.
Long’s departure has not been publicly addressed by the School Committee and she remains listed as the school’s principal on its website. In fact, the only publicly available communication from the district about Long’s departure is an early August newsletter sent out by Acting Superintendent Michael Hashem, which included an introductory message from Interim Principal Maureen Lueke.
Lueke had been serving as an assistant principal at Saugus Middle/High School. She was a finalist for the Belmonte job last year, but was passed over for Long.
Long left Saugus to take a position as the principal at the Alden School in Duxbury. Before joining the Belmonte, she served as principal at Jenkins Elementary School in Scituate.
School Committee member Leigh Gerow, whose children attend the Belmonte, said Long left to be closer to her home.
Gerow did not return a request for further comment. Long also could not be reached for comment.
In a statement, Duxbury Superintendent Danielle Klingaman said Long brings a “valuable combination of classroom and administrative experience to this position.”
“Her commitment to student achievement and enthusiasm for learning is contagious and I am confident she will be an impactful leader for our Alden School community,” Klingaman wrote.
Long, in the statement, said she was honored by the opportunity to serve as principal at the Alden School.
“I am confident that my experiences in teaching, administration, and my commitment to being a lifelong learner will positively contribute to a learning community where students are inspired to reach their full potential,” she said.
When she was hired ahead of the 2022-23 school year, Long was hailed as the best fit for the school by McMahon and as someone who would play a key role in “raising the academic bar in Saugus.”
“She not only has an extensive background in teaching and administrative roles but she also has a strong vision for communicating and is committed to creating an inclusive and welcoming environment for all at the Belmonte,” McMahon wrote at the time.
Long’s departure and those of Deputy Superintendent Margo Ferrick, Communications Manager Jen Lefferts, Early College Director Jackie Corbaci, and Human Resources Manager Adriane Dillon-Talbot show a steady stream of administrators hired by McMahon exiting the district while her status remains uncertain.
McMahon announced she had taken paid administrative leave on Jan. 19, and the School Committee has not publicly commented on her status since that time. McMahon’s attorney, Michael Long, has said she was forced to take leave to preserve her professional reputation when confronted with vague complaints about her performance. McMahon has initiated arbitration proceedings, with Long alleging the committee violated her contract.
The arbitration case is set to be heard for the first time next month.
The announcement of McMahon’s leave came just a week after she presented a proposed $32.8 million fiscal year 2024 budget for the district that the committee ultimately voted down and later cut $1.2 million from.
The committee met in executive session for more than half an hour last Thursday to “discuss strategy with respect to litigation,” similar language to what appeared on the meeting agenda the day McMahon’s leave was announced. Meeting minutes for Jan. 19 and May 30 — when Long says the committee voted to place McMahon on leave after she announced her intention to return to work — have yet to be released by the committee despite repeated requests from The Daily Item.
School Committee Chair Vincent Serino has repeatedly said the committee would send a statement regarding the decision to keep the minutes confidential, but it has not done so.
