Superintendent Zaleski’s contract up for renewal

The School Committee in the coming weeks will negotiate contract terms with Superintendent Karen Zaleski, whose contract expires at the end of the fiscal year.

The School Committee is inviting members of the public to share feedback on Zaleski’s performance at its Sept. 28 and Oct. 5 meetings. Written comments may be submitted via email to [email protected].

Negotiations will be held in executive sessions, but the deliberation and vote on Zaleski’s contract will be public. A vote will likely be held on Oct. 5, according to School Committee Chair Daina Selvig.

For several parents in attendance at the Monday, Sept. 14 meeting, a key part of extending the contract is the public release of a survey conducted among parents and school district staff in the spring during Zaleski’s annual evaluation.

“We’re very eager to understand the process and, more importantly, see the outcome of this process. The reason is simple: it’s because it’s important for the schools, it’s important for the future of our children,” Anelise Lago said. “We encourage you to use the result of the surveys.”

The survey received feedback from about 175 parents and guardians of current students and around 50 teachers, paraprofessionals and other staff. Questions were tied to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s evaluation standards, covering topics ranging from school culture and delivery of educational services to superintendent communications and leadership.

Results were publicly shared on April 27, with the median score for most categories being four out of five. Open-ended responses were not shared, with then-School Committee Chair Adam Newman noting they “pretty much aligned” with the evaluation standards. Newman said he was going to work with the committee to release full results in the future, but he lost his seat in the May annual town election.

Staff survey results have not been made public.

The School Committee in June approved a “proficient” rating for Zaleski, with several members highlighting a need for better transparency and communication methods.

Selvig said the surveys were part of Zaleski’s evaluation, a separate process from the contract negotiations, but the committee incorporated the data into its superintendent evaluation.

“It is unusual to do a survey, but we made a decision last year to invite comment from the public,” Selvig said. “We now have to understand where this fits in both in respect to her performance, which has been evaluated the last three years by different School Committees, as well as where the district is and what we are moving toward.”

Zaleski joined the district in July 2023 as interim superintendent and her contract as superintendent began Jan. 1, 2024. Zaleski’s contract requires the School Committee to give notice on a contract extension by the end of the calendar year.

Prior to joining Weston, Zaleski spent eight years as director of student services with Hopkinton Public Schools and more than two decades in several education roles. She is a licensed mental health and substance abuse clinician, according to her 2023 hiring announcement.