Taunton School Committee Ratifies Administrators Contract, Sets June 30 Last Day

TAUNTON -- March 18, 2026, Taunton School Committee ratifies administrators contract and keeps June 30 as the last day of school. The full board voted unanimously Wednesday night to ratify a collective bargaining agreement with the Taunton Administrators Association and to accept Superintendent Rui Cabral's recommendation to make up seven blizzard snow days by extending the school year to June 30, 2026, rather than eliminating Good Friday or April vacation, options Cabral said would cost the district up to $354,599 per teacher workday in contractual pay obligations. The committee voted 5-3 to spend $4,455.60 on district-issued tablets for members, over DeMello's objection that the money should stay with students. On special education legal costs, Cabral warned the district is on pace to spend roughly $95,000 against a $51,000 budget, and the committee unanimously directed Lions Law Group to produce invoices for December through February before the April meeting. The committee also voted unanimously to refer an Explorica student trip contract to legal counsel after DeMello cited a prior vendor dispute in which "EF Study Tours stole $80,000 from our students."