Weston School Committee Greenlights DEI Director Search, Field School Reading Intervention

WESTON — July 13, 2023 — Weston School Committee unanimously backs DEI director search, Field School reading hire, and budget audit at new superintendent's first meeting. The committee voted four times in rapid succession Thursday to authorize interim Superintendent Karen Zaleski — eight days on the job — to fill a Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion position using the existing District Advancement budget line, hire a certified teacher-level reading interventionist at Field School, commission a K-5 ELA review, and conduct a budget audit estimated at $20,000 to $25,000, all drawing from the district's $457,000 ESSER reserve that must be spent by September 2024. Vice Chair Tiao Xie called for a candidate who is "highly collaborative and not siloed," while member Jane Li pushed back on an initial $250,000 spending ceiling, saying she was "uncomfortable writing a blank check" for costs not yet defined. The committee also appointed the law firm Murphy Lemire Murphy as school district legal counsel, with Zaleski noting she had worked with the firm throughout her eight years as superintendent in Hopkinton.