By DAN TOMASELLO

LYNNFILD — The two candidates running for Select Board answered a series of questions from Lynnfield Teachers Association (LTA) members during a forum held in a Lynnfield Middle School classroom on March 20.

Select Board Chair Joe Connell and Finance Committee member Alexis Leahy are running for a three-year term on the Select Board in the Town Election on Tuesday, April 9. Connell is looking to serve a second term while Leahy is running for office for the first time.

A LTA member asked Connell and Leahy what the top three priorities facing the town are.

While the School Committee will be negotiating the next teachers’ contract, Connell and the pact is the “number one priority” facing the town.

“We know that the most important thing in town is the schools,” said Connell. “The schools are the center of gravity in our town. We are going to do our best to make sure that we do the right thing.”

In addition to the teachers’ contract, Connell said construction of the $63.5 million public safety buildings (PSB) and Town Hall project is underway and he wants the project completed in two years. He is also looking to have the new Veterans Memorial and Wakefield-Lynnfield Rail Trail completed by their respective timelines.

Leahy agreed with Connell that the next teachers’ contract is a major priority for the town.

“It’s going to require a significant amount of collaboration among the town groups,” said Leahy. “It’s going to require a significant amount of effort on behalf of the whole town to make sure this is done well so it sets us up for success in the future.”

Leahy said the Select Board needs to focus on making sure the PSB and Town Hall project is completed on time and on budget. She also said the town is currently reviewing renovation proposals for the Lynnfield Public Library, and said those proposals have to be vetted. She also said the town has to identify potential new sources of revenue.

“We have to identify what the revenue options are if we want to maintain the high level of standards that have appealed to people in the past,” said Leahy.

A LTA member asked Connell and Leahy how will they work with the School Committee and other groups in town to support the schools.

Leahy said officials have to identify what are the “most pressing matters” for the schools over the next five to 10 years. She said teachers, staff and administrators are “the most adept at knowing what are those needs.”

“Sometimes walking through a building doesn’t tell you a lot,” said Leahy. “The perspective of being in a nurse’s office and see it resemble Grand Central Station is very different than just picking up your child outside. It’s important to spend the time to really understand what the needs are in the schools by talking to the people directly impacted by them day-to-day.”

Connell said Lynnfield High School will need to be renovated and modernized down the road. He recalled that he graduated from Wakefield Memorial High School, which he said, “Still stands today.” He said Wakefield voted to build a new WMHS last year.

“The tax increase for that building alone is $1,450 a household,” said Connell. “As we look out to 2030, we have two more debt exclusions coming off. As the debt exclusions come off, we have to refurbish the building piece by piece instead of doing the whole building itself. It’s cheaper to do it that way. We have to look at some serious renovations.”

A LTA member asked Connell and Leahy how they envision the Select Board communicating with school officials.

Connell said he always watches School Committee meetings, and frequently discusses different issues with school officials.

“It’s similar to Huckleberry teachers talking with Summer Street teachers,” said Connell. “That’s the way it should be. There has never been an issue that the Finance Committee or the School Committee brought up that we didn’t know about well in advance.”

Leahy said “frequent communication” should occur “outside of the committee structure.”

“There is a lot more to take in than what the committees are bringing up and bringing to the forefront,” said Leahy. “Forums like this and other forums with individuals who are in the schools on a daily basis outside of committee meetings are really important. It’s important to hear their opinions to learn what are the most imminent needs.”

A LTA member noted that the schools have a lot of needs right now. She asked how will the town continue supporting the schools as those needs continue to grow.

Connell recalled that the town has agreed to give an additional $260,000 in Free Cash to the School Department in order to help fund the contract for the New England Center for Children (NECC) in fiscal year 2025. The NECC will be taking over the Differentiated Learning Programs (DLP) at Lynnfield Middle School and Huckleberry Hill School next year.

“This contract is going to address their needs,” said Connell. “We will do whatever it takes to get the children with special needs in our schools what they need.”

Connell said Toll Brothers’ new over-55 development, The Regency, on upper Main Street will be generating new growth for the town.

“There will be 66 units at Sagamore,” said Connell. “That will be a new source of revenue. I don’t know how that is going to be spent. When you look at Route 1, there is some new growth that could happen there.”

Leahy said town officials “have to keep an eye on the revenue sources.”

“As the needs increase, that is naturally an increase in what the budget is going to be,” said Leahy. “It’s important to keep an eye on those additional revenue sources, having a pulse on that and balancing other needs in the town as well. Keeping an eye on the revenue sources is going to be a high priority.”

A LTA member noted that paraprofessionals are not being paid a living wage. She asked Leahy and Connell if they would be open to supporting an override of Proposition 2 1/2 if the need arises.

Leahy said it will be up to residents and not the Select Board to decide whether an override gets approved. She said the School Department signed the contract with the NECC for the DLP Program because the district has experienced staffing issues in both classrooms this year.

“We understand this contract is a pilot, so we are testing it out to see how it works,” said Leahy. “I know it has worked well in other schools, and I know this particular group of staffing is very difficult to find. There is nuanced training and de-escalation training, and other things that are needed. I don’t want to dodge the question totally, but I think we have to be open to growth or we are going to need to have those conversations.”

Connell said Town Meeting has traditionally supported recommendations from the Select Board, Finance Committee and School Committee in the past.

“We are going to find every way to make sure the schools get what they need,” said Connell. “The paraprofessionals should be getting paid more without question. We have 6,417 homes in town. Of that, 961 have children and three-quarters do not. When you say this is important because the schools have got to have it and when the three committees agree, the votes are overwhelming. We are going to work as hard as possible to get the schools what they need.”

Before the forum concluded, Leahy asked the LTA members what they believe are the major issues facing the schools over the next three to five years.

In addition to finalizing the next teachers’ contract, several LTA members said paraprofessionals have to get paid better. Two LTA members also said providing social-emotional support to students is very important.

“It’s so much different than it was four years ago, five years ago, 10 years ago and 15 years ago,” said a LTA member. “The same tools don’t work anymore. It’s like floppy disks and VHS. Just throw them all out because they are outdated tools.”

There were also LTA members who expressed concerns about increasing enrollment, rising class sizes and space issues, particularly at LMS.

Connell noted that a number of homes are being razed and larger homes are being constructed on those properties.

“We know there is a problem with space coming right now due to what is being torn down and what is being built,” said Connell. “People are moving here for the schools. We have to plan accordingly. The key is educating the community. I think we do a good job with that, but it has to happen over a long period of time.”

Leahy agreed.

“We are acknowledging the fact that this is likely coming down,” said Leahy. “We are not ignoring it. We are anticipating it. We are doing a little bit more to anticipate it versus waiting to it gets to be a problem and then fixing it.”