The Lynnfield Public Schools (LPS) are built on a promise that students will receive one of the very best educations in the Commonwealth and will be positioned to thrive when they leave Lynnfield High School. We pride ourselves in the fact that our community has always invested in our schools and we reciprocate that investment by operating our schools in a fiscally responsible manner.
The recent successes of LPS have been seen through regional and national accolades, the success of LPS alumni, and even in the rise of property values as young families are increasingly moving to Lynnfield for the schools.
Now, that promise is being challenged. This fall, for the first time, Lynnfield Public Schools anticipate running ten Kindergarten classes, five each at Summer Street School and Huckleberry Hill School. Our elementary schools have reached their physical capacity, and enrollment is projected to continue to grow.
Fortunately, the School Committee, Board of Selectmen, School Enrollment and Capacity Exploration Committee, and School Building Committee, have spent many hours, over the last three years, examining the rising number of young families in Lynnfield and the physical space required to accommodate our learners, and we are prepared to address this issue, head on.
The School Committee and Superintendent have frequently discussed the fact that there are six options to address rising enrollment: larger elementary class sizes; art and music on a cart, redistricting; build or repurpose existing town space into a new school; add modular classrooms; add additional space to current buildings.
The aforementioned committees, along with the Superintendent and the Town Administrator have concluded that the first five options either erode the educational integrity of the Lynnfield Public Schools, do not solve the problem in the long term, and/or are cost prohibitive.
As such, we are very excited to announce that over the next few months, the School Building Committee will introduce plans to the Lynnfield Community that will allow us to expand both of the elementary schools. In addition to providing the education space necessary to fulfill our promise for generations to come, these plans will add much needed recreation and community space for the town while also addressing parking, traffic flow and safety at each school.
We realize that there will be many questions associated with this project, including the financial impact on the town and individual taxpayers, understanding the other options that were explored and why they are not viable, seeing the actual plans for the schools, learning more about the broader impact on the Lynnfield Community, and even how Covid-19 could impact how schools operate in the future.
Beginning later this month, and continuing through the summer and into the fall, we will be conducting a series of physically distant, in-person and virtual information and question and answer sessions.
Additionally, we will be sharing information in the local papers, via social media, and we have set up an email address [email protected] to field any specific questions.
Finally, we would like to recognize and express our appreciation to our community for the commitment you have made, and continue to make, in the schools — the support Lynnfield residents show for our school district is second-to-none. Thank you!
If you would like to be involved in supporting the school building project, please reach out to one of us directly.
Regards,
Jamie Hayman, Lynnfield School Committee Chairperson, [email protected]
Christopher Barrett, Lynnfield Board of Selectmen Chairperson, [email protected]