Malden School Committee Approves London-Paris Trip, Extends Top Administrator's Contract

MALDEN -- May 1, 2023, Malden School Committee approves London-Paris student trip and extends administrator contract amid budget and safety concerns. The committee voted unanimously Monday to greenlight a Tornado Travelers Club trip to London and Paris in April 2025, and separately extended the Assistant Superintendent of Student Services contract through June 30, 2025, effective July 1, 2023. Budget subcommittee chair Adam Waldi reported a preliminary gap of roughly $2.7 million to $2.8 million between projected needs and the approximately $91 million in combined city and state funding, including a $12 million increase from Mayor Gary Christensen that is enabling new Early Learning Center staffing. The MEA president alleged that Superintendent Ligia Noriega-Murphy unlawfully revoked her building key-card access without notice, citing violations of state labor law and the Freedom to Join Act; MEA Vice President Jessica Goldboots separately charged that safety reports required by the newly ratified contract are not being shared with union leadership. Parent Bonnie Littlejohn, whose daughter Alyssa addressed the committee as a student, argued that Math 2 CP and Biology CP remain absent from freshman course-selection sheets despite being listed as grade 9 offerings in the program of studies, a gap the chair pledged to address before the next meeting.