By DAN TOMASELLO
LYNNFIELD — The Lynnfield Teachers Association (LTA) hosted four School Committee candidates during a forum held in a Lynnfield Middle School classroom on March 6.
The Town Election on Tuesday, April 9 includes two separate School Committee races that feature six candidates. Three candidates are running for two seats that have three-year terms. Three candidates are running for two seats that have one-year terms.
Former Finance Committee/Public Safety Building Committee member Kristen Grieco Elworthy, Russet Lane resident Jenny Sheehan, Winchester Drive resident Kimberly Baker Donahue and Planning Board Chair Brian Charville attended the LTA’s forum. Elworthy, Sheehan and Baker Donahue are the three candidates running for the two one-year terms. Charville is running for a three-year term on the school board.
School Committee Chair Kate DePrizio and School Committeeman Jim Dillon, who are both running for the three-year terms, did not attend the forum.
“The School Committee did not find it appropriate nor in the best interest of both parties to have two seated members participate in the LTA candidates forum,” DePrizio stated in an email sent to the Villager. “LTA President Alexandra Cellucci and I had very positive and informative communications about the forum. Additionally, out of courtesy as a committee member and a candidate, I informed each candidate running for School Committee that Jim Dillon and I would not be in attendance.”
The four candidates were asked what their top three priorities would be if they were elected to the School Committee.
Charville said his top priorities would be hiring the next superintendent as well as addressing budget and curriculum challenges. He expressed concerns about the school board’s decision to appoint Tom Geary as interim superintendent for the next year-a-half.
“After watching the superintendent promotion, I am not satisfied that we have put in place the best superintendent to carry us for the next 18 months,” said Charville. “When it comes to the budget, the town has considerable budget challenges on the horizon. However, we have to put the schools first. I am concerned that the schools’ are given a very small piece of the pie and are made to live within it. We have to put more money toward the schools than what Town Hall is saying.”
Charville also expressed concerns about the way new curriculum programs such as the Wit and Wisdom literacy initiative have been implemented.
“It cannot be from the top-down,” said Charville. “That is not how my company works. We work collaboratively with people. That is how we get good results.”
Sheehan said her top priorities are “communication, collaboration and relationships.”
“In regards to communication, a lot of teachers felt they had a lot to share and had no way of sharing it,” said Sheehan. “In talking with kindergarten and first grade teachers about Wit and Wisdom, I said, ‘you guys know how to fix it. Why is no one letting you fix it?’ We have to collaborate with the teachers and think outside of the box. I think you form relationships through trust, collaboration and feedback.”
Sheehan also said the school board needs to become more “approachable.”
“In speaking with principals, they felt they couldn’t go to the School Committee because there was no avenue for that,” said Sheehan.
Elworthy agreed with Charville that she has concerns about the school budget.
“When special education out-of-district costs went up a few years ago, I remember asking at the time why the School Committee wasn’t going to the town to advocate for funds to be put towards that,” said Elworthy while recalling her time on the Finance Committee. “It was a big increase, and that meant there were cuts everywhere else. I felt this was something we should supplement because it’s not right to give the DPW, schools and police 3 percent budget increases each year when the schools have a big chunk of change you can’t touch.”
Elworthy also noted the preliminary school budget for fiscal year 2025 is a 5.5 percent increase, and the town is eyeing a 3 percent increase for the schools in the next fiscal year.
“I feel really strongly that when things are explained to people, they can then make the choice,” said Elworthy. “There are five people on the School Committee, and they can’t make choices for the town. It’s a very democratic process where people go into an auditorium and vote at Town Meeting. People need to understand that when they are taking one path, there is another path they are not taking. I think the preliminary budget that was presented helped lay those choices out.”
Elworthy also expressed concerns about “the rigor of the high school curriculum.”
“It’s something I saw years ago,” said Elworthy, who graduated from Lynnfield High School as a member of the Class of 2000. “That is something that needs some attention.”
Baker Donahue said the School Committee needs to “rebuild trust” with the community, teachers and staff.
“Without doing that, how do we move forward at all?” Baker Donahue asked. “The communication has to be there. A response to what your concerns are, whether it’s the response you want or not, is crucial. I really feel that there should be a representative from every school who gives a report to the School Committee once a month. That can keep that conversation going.”
Baker Donahue also said it’s important for the School Committee to be honest with the community.
“The more you tell people, the less defensive they get and the less questions they have to ask,” said Baker Donahue. “There is no reason to withhold information if it is going to be made public anyway.”
The four candidates were asked how would they communicate with school staff and residents outside of School Committee meetings.
Elworthy said the School Committee has to change its approach to public participation. She wants the School Committee to take a page from the Andover School Committee’s playbook by holding monthly listening sessions.
“I would like to see the entire committee engage in that,” said Elworthy. “I think it would be better if it came from the full committee because that shows commitment. As far as communicating with staff, I don’t know enough about the protocols with the School Committee, the principals and the superintendent to answer that. There are a lot of restrictions around public meetings, and we should be protecting the Open Meeting Law. I am involved in the community, and being out and about allows you to hear what is going on. I think it’s important to have moments where people come to you because you otherwise get stuck in your own feedback loop.”
While Sheehan said she has worked to build relationships with teachers and staff at both elementary schools, she also wants to build relationships with educators and staff at the secondary schools.
“If you don’t know me, you are not going to let me know what is going on,” said Sheehan. “I want to create those relationships at the other buildings.”
Baker Donahue said having face-to-face conversations with residents and staff members is “critical.”
“I hosted a coffee at Panera to meet the community,” said Baker Donahue. “I am willing to listen so people can feel heard.”
Charville said the School Committee’s Dec. 12 meeting in the LMS auditorium allowed educators and staff to openly share their concerns with the community and the committee. He said the “clear feedback” helped the community understand the challenges educators and staff members were facing. He urged educators to keep giving school officials and the community feedback.
The four candidates were asked what they hope will happen during the next round of contract negotiations with the LTA.
While Charville said the four candidates “don’t know what the next collective bargaining agreement will include,” he doesn’t want the negotiations to have an “us versus them” mentality. He said that mindset occurred between the Newton Teachers Association, Newton School Committee and Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller before the teachers’ strike occurred in the city earlier this year.
“The ‘them’ in our case is the Select Board and Finance Committee,” said Charville. “We have to realize they don’t have our perspective on this. It is one thing to say we have to improve our outreach, but the people who have to see what the schools and teachers need is the Select Board, the town administrator and the Finance Committee. Unfortunately, they look at things with a very fixed few. I think that is what led to the 5.5 percent budget increase. We have to educate the broader town together.”
Baker Donahue said contract negotiations have to require a “team approach.”
“There has to be open communication and everyone has to be brought to the table,” said Baker Donahue.
Elworthy said the School Committee and the LTA have to “make the case” for more school resources to both residents and town officials.
“People should be paid a living wage so they can take care of their families,” said Elworthy. “I am a business owner and I was able to give an employee maternity leave without a lot of stress because the state of Massachusetts has paid family and medical leave. Whatever decision is made, it has to be a group decision and there has to be consensus. That means everybody is not going to get what they want.”
Sheehan said there are “a lot of moving parts to the budget.”
“Would I love to pay paraprofessionals more? Absolutely,” said Sheehan. “Would I love to pay all of the teachers more? Absolutely. But I don’t know if there is money for that, so I can’t commit to that. There is a lot of moving parts, but as long as communication happens, the town will be able to buy into things around the budget. There has be collaboration and buy-in to create that trust.”
All four candidates thanked the LTA for hosting the forum. Charville suggested that the teachers’ union hold a similar forum with the two Select Board candidates.
