Who Needs Antonietta Mertz (a.k.a. ‘Toni’)?
Antonietta (‘Toni’) Mertz is the Assistant Superintendent for Business and Finance at Malden Public Schools(“MPS”)as of at least May 5, 2023.
Is Ms. Mertz representing herself to other districts/municipalities as “Retired”?
Ms. Mertz made $173,692 in 2022 from Malden Public Schools.
Ms. Mertz received pay increases in 2022 and 2023. We have inquired about her pay.
OpenCommonwealth will post responses to public records requests regarding this article here.
Ms. Mertz was commended in June of 2023 …
Budget Subcommittee – _Mr. Weldai
Mr. Weldai said that the budget process involved multiple meetings and the public forum. Mr. Weldai thanked Director of Finance and Operations, Ms. Toni Mertz, Superintendent Noriega-Murphy and her team for working collaboratively on the budget. A balanced budget with a significant increase both from the City of Malden and the state through the Chapter 70 and Student Opportunity Act funding. Mr. Weldai said that there is direct investment in the classroom, all full-time positions have been taken off from the grants and supported by the general fund.
Now, in March of 2024, MPS is in the hole…
Ms. Mertz is working with the Superintendent Noriega-Murphy to meet with Principals to look at the budget based on needs vs. wants and whatever they can do to keep everything that is needed for the students. Ms. Spadafora said she spoke in front of City Council last week and mentioned $8 million but that it is now in the $1 million range deficit. Ms. Spadafora continued that she has faith that Ms. Mertz will continue to look at where changes can be made potentially to cut costs without interrupting day to day school activities.
- Ms. Mertz makes at least 3.7 times the median average salary for a MPS employee in 2022 ($47,435).
- Ms. Mertz works only 4 days a week in her current arrangement with MPS.
- Ms. Mertz currently makes more than the Superintendent of Schools at MPS – per diem.
- Ms. Mertz was paid $130/hr in Arlington to consult, apparently on that 5th workday.
- Ms. Mertz has also started a for profit company, Accountedge, LLC who specializes in “Providing accounting assistance to small businesses and municipalities in MA[ssachusetts]”
- Ms. Mertz also has the time to serve as a member of the Middleton Massachusetts Finance Committee.
- In 2021, Ms. Mertz reported that she will return as interim finance director, “Mertz, retired business manager for the Malden schools, was named interim director after Victor Garafalo departed to become Dracut’s finance director on Jan. 8. Mertz had remained in the finance office to help Batista with the transition and was the point person for thedepartment during recent Finance Committee budget deliberations.
- In 2006, Ms. Mertz become the Former Town Accountant in Georgetown.
It is my understanding that if she is retired then she can work as a consultant and even then only a certain number of hours. However, maybe this doesn’t apply to her position, but it did with a sped director that retired and then became an out of district coordinator. The retirement board told me that this person could only work 900 hours per year. Given the limited number of hours I would say that sped director was double dipping. Is that what Merta is doing?