The Saugus Union School District Governing Board voted Tuesday night to elect Matthew Watson as its new president, approving the leadership change by a 4–1 vote following a lengthy public comment period.

Before the Saugus Union School District Board began the process of electing its officers, numerous community members addressed the board, many of them speaking in support of Trustee Anna Griese, while others voiced opposition and urged the board to consider a different direction for leadership.

SUSD packed meeting (Sophia Lesseos KHTS)

Several speakers praised Griese for her accessibility and engagement with teachers, parents and staff, saying she regularly listens to concerns, checks in with the community and makes time for classroom visits.

“My hope is Anna Griese will be elected as board president,” said Linda Valdes, president of the Saugus Teachers Association. “She is bold, transparent, action-oriented and extremely accessible. She is willing to listen, ask hard questions, and most importantly she is open to different perspectives than her own, in an effort to collaborate and problem solve.”

Other community members echoed similar sentiments, describing Griese as a consistent presence on school campuses and a board member who responds to emails and meets directly with educators and families.

TimBen Boydston, who identified himself as a parent of a former Saugus student and the husband of a longtime district teacher, criticized what he described as a disconnect between the district and the community, particularly regarding unresolved student behavior issues.

“There’s a disconnect between the Saugus Union School District and the community it’s supposed to serve,” Boydston said. “Teachers and parents alike have repeatedly gone to the school board describing students who act out in abusive ways toward teachers and classmates with no consequences.”

Boydston expressed disappointment over the disbanding of a district behavior committee but said he viewed the board’s leadership vote as an opportunity for change.

“The thing I’m not disappointed about is that there is an election on this board and someone will be chosen to lead,” Boydston said. “These are nonpartisan positions, and every person deserves the chance to show what they can do with a team and a majority. I do think it’s time to continue this new direction and put Anna Griese on as president.”

Following public comment, outgoing Board President Patti Garibay opened the agenda item for officer elections and nominated Watson for board president.

“I’d like to make a motion that we nominate Matt Watson to board president,” Garibay said.

Griese then nominated herself for the position. However, Katherine Cooper seconded Garibay’s motion to nominate Watson, prompting the board to proceed with the vote on Watson’s nomination under board procedure. Griese’s self-nomination was not brought forward for a vote.

The board approved Watson’s nomination by a 4–1 vote.

After the vote, Garibay confirmed the outcome and formally handed the presidency over.

“We voted to elect our president,” Garibay said. “I made a motion to nominate board member Watson, we got a second, and the motion passed four to one.”

Watson assumed the role immediately and presided over the remainder of the meeting. Later, he thanked staff and community members for their continued engagement.

“That’s what we will do… we will get up and move forward, because that’s what our children deserve,” Watson said.

Griese congratulated Watson and emphasized her advocacy for the school district would continue regardless of title.

“We were all naive to think that I would be elected president and it’s okay,” Griese said. “I’m not going to stop advocating for parents, not going to stop advocating for teachers… Mr. Watson, I hope you actually do something in that seat. There’s a lot that has not been done over the course of a year and we need to address it. Teachers, they want it addressed. It’s just a title. It doesn’t mean anything.”

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