Weston School Committee approves restructured administrative job descriptions after confidentiality debate

WESTON -- March 23, 2026, Weston School Committee restructures administrative support roles after debate over confidentiality. The committee voted 4-0 Monday to approve two new job descriptions, a District Project Manager and a revised Executive Assistant, after member Kenneth Newberg raised sustained objections to language he said would strip the committee of a dedicated, confidential staff contact. Newberg argued that school committees need a direct report insulated from superintendent influence, citing scenarios such as a superintendent performance review. Superintendent Dr. Karen Zaleski said her intent was simply to streamline support: "I'm a professional. Say the word and ask for some great references and let's move on." The committee approved an amendment proposed by Vice Chair Tiao Xie designating the District Project Manager as Secretary to the Weston School Committee, with the reporting-line sentence removed from the description. The committee also received a digital literacy curriculum review finding that 93.5 percent of Weston parents want AI taught strictly as a supportive tool, and that students show strong confidence as technology consumers but weak confidence as creators of computational work.