Shawsheen Tech School Committee appoints Jenna Lesko as business manager over dissent

BILLERICA -- May 24, 2022, Shawsheen Valley Regional Vocational Technical School Committee voted to appoint assistant principal Jenna Lesko as the district's new business manager, completing a leadership transition that also brought in a new superintendent. The vote, taken at the May 24 meeting, came after a procedural motion to postpone the appointment failed on a voice vote; member and attorney Pat Muse ultimately abstained, telling the committee, "We have a brand new superintendent who's never been superintendent, and now we're having a brand new business manager who's never been a business manager." Lesko, who has worked at Shawsheen Tech for 17 years, first as a math teacher, then department chair, and for the past five years as assistant principal, told the committee she obtained her business manager licensure the prior year specifically to address a gap identified during a superintendent candidacy process, and is pursuing a procurement license. The Budget Subcommittee had recommended her 4-0 from a field of nine applicants. The committee also unanimously accepted the district's annual financial statement and auditor's report, with member Kent Moffitt pressing for creation of a dedicated audit subcommittee and earlier distribution of financial documents, noting the committee received a 76-page report covering a period nearly a year prior.