By DAN TOMASELLO

LYNNFIELD — The School Department’s preliminary budget for fiscal year 2025 has been reduced slightly, Interim Superintendent Tom Geary told the School Committee and Select Board during two separate meetings last week.

Geary said the preliminary $30,973,648 operating budget represents a 4.4 percent increase over FY24’s $29,656,549 spending plan. The town is looking to have a 3.9 percent increase for the School Department in FY25.

“The budget is a fluid process this time of year, especially given the events of this year,” said Geary. “The budget has been focused on redirecting resources to the classroom.”

Geary said the district and the Lynnfield Teachers Association (LTA) have finalized the agreement with the New England Center for Children (NECC), which will be running two Differentiated Learning Program (DLP) classrooms for special education students at Lynnfield Middle School and Huckleberry Hill School next year. Both programs have experienced staffing challenges this year.

“This would not be possible without collaboration and voting approval from the LTA, which we truly appreciate,” said Geary. “This program provides certified teachers, paraprofessional training and professional development, increased pay for paraprofessionals and behavioral supports. The administration and the LTA have been advocating for these programs. It’s great that we were able to work together to make this happen for our students.”

Geary informed the Villager that the NECC agreement totals $375,000.

While the originally proposed FY25 school budget represented a 5.5 percent increase, Geary was able to reduce the spending plan to a 4.4 percent increase.

“That is due to a decrease in special education out-of-district tuitions,” said Geary. “This was based on assuming some students will remain in the district rather than being outplaced. It’s a win-win for students, families and the district.”

Geary said the town has agreed to allocate an additional $260,000 from Free Cash in order to help fund the partnership with NECC.

“The town recognizes this is a specific area of identified need,” said Geary. “I really appreciate their partnership and collaboration.”

School Committee Chair Kate DePrizio agreed.

“We provided the town with a proposal that asked for $300,000 to help fund the DLP classrooms,” said DePrizio during the School Committee’s meeting. “The town accepted and is offering $260,000 from Free Cash. We sincerely appreciate the collaboration and support.”

Geary said the Group Insurance Commission (GIC), which is the town’s health insurance provider, recently finalized rates that are “significantly higher than what the town anticipated.”

“Health insurance doesn’t fall under the School Department’s budget,” said Geary during the School Committee’s meeting. “It falls under the town budget, but we all draw from the same pie.”

Geary also the town will be receiving less local aid, including Chapter 70 education aid, in FY25 compared to FY24. He recalled that local aid will tentatively be increasing by only $75,000 in the next fiscal year.

“That has to be divided up among all town departments,” said Geary.

Geary said the School Department is recommending adding three elementary school teachers and two paraprofessionals to Summer Street School due to increasing enrollment next year. While there is currently three kindergarten classes being offered at Summer Street School, Geary said five sections will be offered next year that will result in two teachers and two paraprofessionals being hired.

Additionally, Geary is looking to hire a first grade teacher for Summer Street due to increasing enrollment. He also said Huckleberry Hill School will be getting an additional first grade teacher due to reallocating resources.

“We did the elementary schools’ expansion project a few years ago,” said Geary during the Select Board’s March 11 meeting. “We thought the kids were coming, it got delayed a little bit and we are starting to see they are here. We have to address it.”

Geary said the School Department is also looking to hire a board certified behavioral analyst position.

“The middle school requested it,” said Geary during the Select Board’s meeting. “This would give us three in the district, and one would be based at each school. Two is just not enough right now.”

Geary also recommended adding a contractual part-time elementary school supervisor/evaluator support position for both elementary schools. He also proposed reinstating a stipend position for a Student Services Department head at Lynnfield High School. That position was combined with a similar position at LMS this academic year.

The interim superintendent has also recommended reinstating multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) interventionists, formerly known as tutors, to both elementary schools and LMS.

“These are regular education interventionists,” said Geary. “Not having them has made it more difficult for teachers to assess students. This will get us back to where we should have been.”

Geary has also budgeted $2,326,064 for special education out-of-district tuition and contractual services, which represents a $402,590 increase over FY24’s $1,923,474 appropriation.

“The majority of that increase is the contract with the New England Center for Children,” said Geary. “Otherwise, we would have only been up a modest amount.”

Geary has also budgeted $541,346 for special education transportation, which is an $186,860 increase over FY24’s $354,846 allocation.

In order to offset the cost of the additional classroom teachers and support staff needed in FY25, Geary has recommended seven staff reductions. The plan to eliminate Lynnfield High School Library Media Specialist Janice Alpert and Nurse Coordinator Toni Rebelo’s respective positions has led to an outcry from residents, educators, library supporters and health care professionals who oppose the two cuts (see separate story).

Geary also said a special education teacher at the middle school is going to be eliminated as well as the LHS Athletic Department’s “game support staff and faculty manager stipends.”

Additionally, Geary and the School Committee have proposed eliminating five Central Office positions in the next fiscal year.

“That is a 22 percent reduction,” said Geary during the Select Board’s meeting.

In addition to Rebelo’s job, Geary said Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Kevin Cyr’s contract will not be renewed once it expires on June 30, 2025.

“In the meantime, I will be taking on the majority of the roles for superintendent and the financial aspects,” said Geary during the Select Board’s meeting. “There is still some money left in there to fund some of the day-to-day financial stuff that I will need help with because I can only spread myself so thin.”

Geary and the School Committee have also proposed eliminating the Student Services assistant director job and the Technology Department’s desktop support and data manager positions.

“Make no mistake, these are difficult budget decisions that were not easy to make,” said Geary during the Select Board’s meeting.

DePrizio recalled during the School Committee’s meeting that all four principals had a number of budget requests that were not funded in FY25. If the School Department funded every position requested, she said the spending plan would have been an over 10 percent increase.

“It would have included STEAM and STEM in all of the schools, and it included no cuts,” said DePrizio.

Capital budget

While the School Department originally requested a $350,000 capital budget for FY25, Geary has reduced the request to $225,000.

Geary has requested $125,000 for technology expenses. He originally requested $250,000 for technology expenses, which is the allotment the School Department has traditionally received from the town every fiscal year. He recalled that Focus Technology is currently undertaking an audit of the Technology Department.

“That is ongoing right now,” said Geary during the Select Board’s meeting.

Geary is also requesting $100,000 to have the LHS auditorium’s seats reupholstered.

“The seats are not in good shape,” said Geary during the Select Board’s meeting. “We are going to work with the DPW to have that done.”