Committee splits 4-1 on rejecting ELL stipend
School Committee · Meeting of July 30, 2026
Grafton School Committee presses superintendent over two unposted principal hires. Superintendent Jay Cummings told the committee he appointed preschool coordinator Melissa Johnson interim principal at North Grafton Elementary and recommended Juliana Castle Marcos, a former Framingham principal, for South Grafton Elementary, both without the posting or screening-committee steps required under district policy GCE. Member Kristy Kielbasinski called the process "rubber stamping and not adhering to policy" and moved to strip a contested $12,000 ELL coordinator stipend from Castle Marcos's contract; the motion failed 4-1.
The committee then approved Castle Marcos's contract 5-0, totaling $141,000 with the stipend against a prior $125,000 principal baseline, and approved Johnson's interim appointment 5-0. Clerk Rebecca Soco said of the ELL hire, "if we lose this, we're not getting it back, and we are so fortunate."
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 2,120 words
Source: the School Committee meeting of July 30, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
Keep reading with a 30-day free trial
Subscribe to Grafton News to keep reading this post and get 30 days of free access to the full post archives.
Starting a trial requires a payment method. After 30 free days your subscription begins at the price shown at checkout and renews automatically until you cancel. You can cancel anytime from your account. Subscription terms
A subscription gets you:
- Subscriber-only posts and full archive
- Post comments and join the community
- 24x7 access to local news