Superintendent reports hires, $200,000 grant submission and surge in public-records requests

Superintendent Karimovich told the Webster School Committee the district has no retirements to report and has recently filled several positions, including a second‑shift custodian at Bartlett High School, two speech‑language paraprofessional assistants (Laura Ladino and Barbara Small) and ABA aides (Jocelyn Van Minos and Brianna McKay). She said transfers included Joni Barrick and Alexandra Maldonado and that the district continues active hiring to prepare for the school year.

Karimovich said the district submitted a 21st Century (exemplar) grant after delays and that "this grant will give us close to $200,000" if awarded. She emphasized the award would be one‑time funding and urged caution about creating ongoing commitments based on such money. The superintendent also summarized a proposed $100 million state reserve (funded by the fair‑share tax) that could bring Webster roughly $190,000–$215,000 in one‑time revenue based on foundation enrollment, and she cautioned that the district should not use one‑time funds to hire permanent staff.

Separately, Karimovich described an "extreme number" of public‑records requests in recent weeks, often multiple requests tied to the same underlying company. She said many of the requests seek contracts and supporting documentation that will require significant staff time and that she has engaged legal counsel to advise on redactions and allowable fees; she noted the district may charge for extensive requests and referenced standard hourly fee caps discussed with legal. "We're not gonna meet them," she said of the current volume of requests without additional time or fees. The superintendent said the issue is affecting many Massachusetts districts and that the district is preparing a legal response and an approach to manage the workload.