Dear Lynnfield:
Thank you.
On June 4, we passed an operational override that will allow us to keep the thing that makes Lynnfield Public Schools what they are: our amazing educators. The outcome and turnout of this vote demonstrated one thing I’ve always had faith in: Lynnfield’s unique and unwavering commitment to educating its children. It’s why people move here, and it’s why generation after generation returns to raise their children.
Last Wednesday, I was impressed by people of all ages and generations with thumbs up signs, “We’ve got this!” encouragement, and reassuring smiles. I knew that many people going into the polls no longer had kids in the district – but that they believed that every generation in Lynnfield should have the right to access the incredible educational experience their kids had. To those people especially, thank you. I would also like to recognize that not everyone was not in the financial position to support this.
I know that the past several months have been stressful for parents, who have worried about what their children’s education will look like in the future. Thank you to those parents who spent their time getting educated, educating others, knocking on doors, sending texts, posting on social media and working the sidelines to make sure that everyone understood what was at stake.
Thank you to our educators for giving their personal time over the past few months to this effort. They have partnered with the School Committee to build a contract that aligns with the override budget and means we can keep our promise to retain every position in the district with the passage of this override. Thank you also to Superintendent Tom Geary, who approached his first year as our district’s leader with a mission to do right by our students and staff – and who was in the trenches ensuring that even through the uncertainty, our teachers were treated with dignity and respect.
This was a long process from start to finish, and it involved many people from building the budget out to educating the public. Town Administrator Rob Dolan and Assistant Town Administrator Bob Curtin tirelessly worked to coordinate the moving parts of this override, and Town Clerk Amanda Haggstrom and her team did an excellent job of giving plentiful opportunities to vote and raising awareness about early voting and voting day. Also important for success was the unanimous support of our Select Board and Finance Committee.
We owe our gratitude to Lynnfield Forward, a small group of citizens who formed the “Yes” campaign. Despite full lives with kids, sports, and jobs, the team has poured countless hours into getting the word out about the vote, providing education to residents and giving people who wanted to help the resources and knowledge to do so. Thank you to the official “Yes” committee, Brian Lambert and Jessica Logrippo – and to the incredible folks who spent time and effort on the Yes Campaign, particularly Sarah Kelley, Kathleen Dario and Stephanie Budd. There were a number of other residents who showed up and made this their personal mission for the past several months – thank you for your dedication.
I’m proud to have been educated here in Lynnfield and to have my own kids educated here now, too. I’m proud to know that our town supports the educators that make the student experience what it is. And I’m proud to be part of a team that will continue moving our district forward and building on the excellent school system we already have. Thank you, Lynnfield.
Sincerely,
Kristen Elworthy
Chair, Lynnfield School Committee
*The views in this letter are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Lynnfield School Committee
