Joint committee appoints Liz AlJammal to fill vacant School Committee seat

Members of the City Council and School Committee appointed former member Liz AlJammal to fill a recently vacated committee seat.

The appointment was made at a Jan. 20 meeting, which was scheduled after Margaret Donnelly resigned from her position on Jan. 12. Donnelly had served on the School Committee for 32 years.

Fifteen of the 19 members present at the special joint meeting voted for AlJammal, who was nominated by current School Committee vice chair, Debbie Coleman.

After being elected, AlJammal thanked the room for her appointment, vowing to continue prioritizing students. 

“I promise to do my very best to do what’s right for the kids of this city,” she said.

AlJammal previously served nine years on the committee but was not reelected during the last election season, losing to Sabrina DeJoannis by 584 votes.

Councilor-at-Large Colleen Bradley-MacArthur had nominated former School Committee candidate Carolina Lara for the position as well. Lara sought election in 2023 but was unsuccessful, finishing 99 votes behind Donnelly.

AlJammal will hold the position until Jan. 2, 2028, per article four, section three of the Waltham City Charter.