In an effort to cut costs and save teacher jobs earlier this year, Mayor D.J. Beauregard issued an executive order to merge school and city IT departments under city staff. School officials sued to block the merger, arguing in part that it could adversely impact school grants and that it exceeded Beauregard’s authority. A judge has since blocked the merger, while allowing information sharing, access to systems and other cooperative aspects to proceed.
In a filing this week, the schools have accused city IT Director Luis Santiago of acting in a way that has “undermined departmental morale, disrupted operations, and directly interfered with staff supervision,” according to school attorney Peter McNulty.
Santiago has accused the school of obstructing him from following the part of Beauregard’s order that was allowed by the court, chiefly regarding access.
Following a kickoff meeting where increased collaboration was discussed, school officials received an email in which Santiago discussed consolidation and unilaterally scheduling meetings to comply with the executive order, the school said in its filing.
“The School Department interpreted this follow-up communication as inapposite to their sincere efforts to cooperate with the CIO and the Court’s Order of June 30, 2025,” wrote McNulty.
McNulty wrote Santiago also stated during a July 9 meeting that he does not “”believe or trust an information” from the School IT Department and declared its reporting “inaccurate.””
In contrast, Santiago wrote in an affidavit attached to the city’s filings that he has continued to be denied access to school system despite the court order
“I acknowledge that my tone in meetings can sometimes be perceived as direct or frustrated,” wrote Santiago. “I strive to remain professional at all times and have apologized when needed. My frustration comes from the fact that every request made under lawful authority has either been delayed, denied, or only partially addressed.”
“He further asserted that he would ‘eventually be taking over,’ undercutting the director’s authority,” McNulty continued. “These statements, coupled with a pattern of dismissive and demoralizing communication-have led to concerns regarding heightened instability within the department.”
McNulty said the issues have only increased the school’s belief that it must retain independence over the department while still allowing collaboration. The merger has also resulted in school staff leaving, according to school Technology Director Nancy Lopez.
“During merger discussions last spring and again this year, staff members voiced serious concerns and several threatened to resign due to the perceived direction and tone of leadership,” said Lopez in an affidavit.
“As of now, all of those staff have followed through and left their positions. These departures are not isolated — they reflect a systemic issue of broken trust, poor communication, and an unhealthy working environment that has not been meaningfully addressed.”
In the city’s filing, Santiago said while meetings have “grown increasingly adversarial,” this was not his intent and a result of the school’s “persistent obstruction and refusal to comply with the clear directives of the Executive Order.”
One email exchange, including in submitted court documents, between Lopez and School Committee Vice Chair Laurie Keegan was forwarded by Beauregard to City Solicitor Paul O’Neill with the comment by Beauregard of “FYI, get a load of this.”
In the exchange, Lopez said she had three employees quit due to discussions about Santiago taking over the school’s IT department.
“I am no longer comfortable under the oversight of someone who shows a clear lack of professional respect and who undermines leadership rather than collaborates with it,” wrote Lopez in a separate email that was contained in the court documents. “For the health of the organization and the success of any future transition, I believe these issues require immediate attention and reevaluation of oversight structures and communication protocols.”
A jury trial is set for March 25.
© 2025 The Eagle-Tribune (North Andover, Mass.). Visit www.eagletribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
