After firing former Superintendent Erin McMahon, the Saugus School Committee moved quickly to fill her post. It hired Michael Hashem the very same day it fired McMahon, Nov. 2, and finalized a contract agreement that runs through June 2027 with Hashem just days later, on Nov. 6.
Hashem, who had been serving as acting superintendent in McMahon’s stead, is being paid an annual salary of $195,000, according to a copy of the agreement, which was obtained by The Daily Item in response to a public-records request. As acting superintendent, Hashem earned a stipend of $750 a day. McMahon earned a salary of $196,000 during her tenure in Saugus, and agreed to a five-year contract when she was hired.
The $195,000 salary is effective between Dec. 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024, at which point the committee will set his salary following a review of his performance. But, the contact notes that “the superintendent’s salary shall not be reduced during the life of this agreement or any extension thereafter.”
Prior to becoming acting superintendent, Hashem was working as a math teacher after stepping down as principal of Saugus High School. He served as acting superintendent once before, in 2016, but returned to his post as principal when David DeRuosi was hired as the full-time superintendent.
Hashem’s contract is nearly identical to the one agreed to by committee members and McMahon prior to her hiring in 2021. In fact, the agreement contains the very same provision, “prompt notice of complaints or concerns,” that McMahon has contested was violated by the committee when she took leave. That provision is the grounds for McMahon’s arbitration case. It is unclear if the case has gone before an arbitrator, though McMahon’s attorneys submitted the demand for arbitration in February 2023.
The committee can terminate Hashem’s contract for “insubordination, incompetency, neglect of duty, or other good cause.” The agreement defines “good cause” as “any ground put forth by the committee in good faith that is not arbitrary, irrational, unreasonable, or irrelevant to the task of building and maintaining an efficient school system.”
Hashem can also terminate the agreement himself, but must give at least 100 days notice.
It is not clear when exactly the committee began negotiations with Hashem on the contract, though the committee met on Nov. 1`to “discuss acting superintendent status” and hired Hashem a day later. At the time, Hashem appeared taken by surprise by the move to hire him to the full-time post.
The Item has submitted a records request for the Nov. 1 executive session minutes, which were approved by the committee, but Committee Chair Vincent Serino said he could not release them due to ongoing litigation.
Throughout his tenure as acting superintendent, committee members praised Hashem as a stabilizing force. They will certainly be hoping that he continues to act as such, as Saugus is now on to its third superintendent since 2021, a remarkable stretch of turbulence for a professional appointment.
Should the School Committee and Hashem decide to extend his contract, the agreement dictates that they make a “good faith effort” to complete negotiations on a subsequent agreement by October 2026.
Hashem has worked in the district for decades and is himself a graduate of Saugus High School. During his tenure as principal, Hashem helped oversee the construction of the new Saugus Middle/High School complex and navigated the immediate response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
