Lexington’s School Committee recently approved a superintendent contract that stands out across the state: a six-year term and a compensation package notably richer than almost any other district. While legally permissible, it’s extraordinarily rich in terms of dollars and duration, and that in itself deserves community attention. The town’s liability, when you add up everything in the contract, is astounding and without precedent.

I have no easy answers, but I do find it troubling that a decision of such length and generosity didn’t spark broader public scrutiny.

For something this out of step with other districts, I would have expected more discussion, more transparency, and more community input before it was finalized.

As we face difficult budget seasons ahead, it’s important that decisions of this magnitude be subject to thorough public engagement. Extraordinary commitments deserve extraordinary accountability. This one, I’m afraid, flew right by most of us.

Respectfully,
Jeanne DeSanto

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4 Comments

    1. It is extraordinary. Add it all up. Deferred compensation and vacation day sell back…and then take the time to compare by town. I’m angry that I had to do this. We elect a SC to do benchmarking – not someone like me. But here we are. Duration and dollars don’t make sense compared to any town or city other than Boston Public Schools. Think about that.

  2. In the Observer article on the contract, you can read these sentences:
    “A bit further south, the superintendent of Wellesley Public Schools, David Lussier, makes over $311,000. And Anna Nolin, the superintendent of Newton Public Schools made $307,536 in 2025.”

    Dr. Hackett’s base pay in 2027 will be $321,037, or about 3% more than the Wellesley superintendent made in 2025.

    https://lexobserver.org/2026/10/16/lexington-public-schools-superintendent-has-new-contract/

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