Beverly Appoints Interim Finance Director

School Committee · Meeting of October 14, 2026

BEVERLY — The Beverly School Committee voted 8-0 to appoint Joan Laporto as interim director of finance and approved a revised, finance-only job description for the permanent post. Superintendent Dr. Cushing said comparable salaries in Marblehead and Reading have reset "in the 170 range," calling the statewide finance-director pipeline "thin right now." Laporto, a roughly 20-year Beverly finance veteran who later spent 16 years in Amesbury, will work 2.5 days a week under a contract the committee also approved 8-0, along with a transition matrix assigning interim duties to staff including Dr. Brown. Members separately approved a Brown University Model United Nations trip 8-0 and, through delegate Harnden, split 7-1 and 7-0-1 on Massachusetts Association of School Committees resolutions covering student immigration protections and restraint procedures.

Cushing also briefed the board on an "accidental lockdown" at Beverly Middle School, saying a redundant alarm trigger has since been limited.

In the full story:

• Public Comment: Music Program Funding
• Model United Nations Trip to Brown University
• National School Lunch Week and Accidental Middle School Lockdown
• Athletic Department End-of-Season Awards
• Transportation Report
• Student Representative Report
• Community Committees Update
• Director of Finance Job Description, Interim Appointment and Transition Plan
• Student Activity Accounts
• MASC Delegate Resolutions and Renewals
• Substantive content and deliberation, item by item
• Operational Sustainability Committee Update
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 3,994 words

Source: the School Committee meeting of October 14, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.