SAUGUS — An arbitrator has officially ruled in favor of former Superintendent of Schools Dr. Erin McMahon, who was fired in November of 2023 after a unanimous vote from the School Committee.
During the meeting that ended with McMahon’s termination, Chairman Vincent Serino gave a list of reasons why the committee was taking a vote on whether to terminate. Those reasons included failing to timely disclose a relationship with Relay Graduate School of Education, permitting Excellence Reflex Consulting to charge excess fees to the School District under McMahon’s supervision, permitting Excellence Reflex Consulting to charge the District for the purchase of alcohol, and McMahon’s absence from the District 40.5 days from July 2022 to the start of her leave in January 2023.
However, arbitrator Sherrie Rose Talmadge said the committee “did not meet its burden of establishing good cause for the termination.”
Talmadge continued that McMahon was to be made whole for all lost wages and benefits from the date of her termination, Nov. 2, 2023, to the end of her Employment Agreement, June 30, 2026, minus post-termination earnings.
“We are pleased that the arbitrator confirmed what we have known to be true since the beginning of this saga: that Dr. McMahon did nothing to warrant the action the School Committee took,” McMahon’s attorney, Megan Deluhery, said.
“This process has been a setback, but I hope to return to serving the children of Massachusetts in the future,” McMahon said. “My work in Saugus only reinforced my belief that prioritizing student needs is crucial and that this is the mission I plan to carry with me in my next endeavors.”
In a statement to the Item Serino said, “the Saugus School Committee has refrained from making any public comment concerning the former superintendent since she placed herself on administrative leave in January of 2023. Since that time, the investigative report, the former superintendent’s response and the entirety of the disciplinary hearing have been publicly released. Our main focus has been and will continue to be the district and the students, teachers and support staff. We will continue to refrain from making any public statements.”
