Swampscott School Committee Candidates Debate Budget Transparency and Community Trust

SWAMPSCOTT — April 7, 2026 — Swampscott School Committee candidates squared off Tuesday over budget transparency, racism in schools, and the fallout from a former chair's resignation. Incumbent John Jantis, seeking a third term and citing six years of collective bargaining and superintendent evaluation experience, and challenger Martha Driscoll Caesar, a former teacher and principal who taught in Swampscott for 17 years, answered identical questions at a community forum moderated by Sophia Harris of the Daily Item. Driscoll Caesar said she entered the race partly because of the former chair's resignation, describing a climate in which "questions about the school budget and expression of differing points of view have not always been welcomed or respected," and said she had struggled to locate basic budget information in four weeks of research despite her professional background. Jantis called proactive communication his primary tool for rebuilding trust, saying he had already spoken with Driscoll Caesar and a third committee member since filing his candidacy paperwork, and described the school's recently submitted budget as "an extremely bare bones budget" built around protecting educators and student outcomes.