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LYNNFIELD — The Town Election on Tuesday, April 8 features a three-candidate race for two seats on the School Committee.
The three candidates running for three-year terms are School Committee Chair Kristen Grieco Elworthy, School Committee Vice Chair Jenny Sheehan and Winchester Drive resident Kimberly Baker Donahue.
Voters in all four precincts will cast their ballots at Lynnfield High School from 7 a.m.-8 p.m. on April 8.
The Villager asked the three candidates to answer three questions. The following are their responses.
What is your position on the proposed $5 million Proposition 2 ½ override and the proposed 11 percent budget increase for Lynnfield Public Schools?
Kristen Elworthy: I am in favor of the proposed override and the budget as voted on unanimously by the School Committee, which includes an 11 percent increase for FY26. As Superintendent Geary and I have explained in both public meetings since last fall, and in discussions with town leadership, the schools are facing three distinct budget drivers: Rising costs of out-of-district special education, the need to pay our teachers and staff fairly and competitively with similar North Shore districts, and the need to both replace aging technology infrastructure and meet current-day technology demands in the classroom.
This proposed budget will meet those three needs in a fiscally responsible manner. The fact is that Lynnfield has chosen not to increase growth with commercial and residential developments in order to maintain the character of the town. That choice means that there are limited options for funding the needs of the school district and other departments in town – and with rising costs across the board, an override is the only way to meet those needs without growth. I believe that the residents of Lynnfield will support, as they always have, a strong school system that prioritizes the best interest of our students and turns out young adults that Lynnfield can be proud of.
As the School Committee Chair and a member of the Budget Subcommittee, I can provide insight on the data-driven rationale for the district’s funding this year:
• Out-of-district special education costs: It’s no secret that the way special education is funded is a tremendous challenge for districts. Lynnfield, like all other districts, has both a legal and a moral obligation to provide free and appropriate public education for all of our students. While we work extremely hard to keep them in-district, the fact is that LPS cannot serve all of our students. A small percentage are served out of district, and Lynnfield is required to pay for those. While the number of students we send out has stabilized, tuition has risen and with that we have seen increases in required costs.
• Fair and competitive teacher and staff pay: Over the past several years, Lynnfield has fallen behind like North Shore districts on the pay scale. Competitive pay is important in attracting new teachers and in retaining our current, valued staff. As we prepared to negotiate our collective bargaining agreement, the Committee came together under the leadership of Superintendent Geary, myself and my Budget Subcommittee colleague, Jenny Sheehan, to analyze the data of these comparable North Shore districts. These led us to an estimate of what we believe competitive salaries would look like, and we are using that estimate in our budget request.
• Educational technology and infrastructure: Edtech has transformed the way our students learn and the productivity of teachers in the classroom. Lynnfield Public Schools has come up with a plan to replace aging infrastructure, and then to enter a refresh cycle that will even out replacement costs over time. We also are requesting funding for Chromebooks and educational technology such as Smart Boards in the classroom, which strongly impact the educational experience.
When considering our budget, the Committee and Superintendent developed a plan that does not add new staffing, but allows us to maintain the wonderful district we have today. Over the past several years, the district has lost a number of positions – including administrative positions that mean we are operating from a very lean standpoint and putting the majority of our resources in the classroom.
Lynnfield is known for its school system, and I’m proud to put forth a budget this year that offers an opportunity to preserve our class size policies, ability to deliver 21st century curriculum, and to serve all of the students in the town of Lynnfield with a free and appropriate public education.
Jenny Sheehan: The town is asking for an override for a number of things, but mostly to support LPS. As a candidate for an elected position, it is imperative to take a stance on such a crucial issue. I support the override and the 11 percent increase for LPS.
Like all of you, I am a taxpayer in this town — and I can assure you that I view any tax increase with great criticism. However, as a member of the Budget Subcommittee alongside Chair Elworthy and Superintendent Geary, I have seen first hand that without this override, we will not be able to deliver the kind of quality education we have come to expect in Lynnfield. For too long, prior committees have had to make cuts across every level of LPS, particularly at the high school, just to “hit a number” in the budget process. This is no longer sustainable if we want our schools to be great. To be clear: This 11 percent increase being proposed is simply to maintain what we have — we are not adding new teachers, we are not adding new facilities. While this is a hard pill to swallow, it is a reality of the times we live in and the sharp rise in inflation we’ve seen in the last few years.
The primary drivers of the budget increase are increased special education costs, necessary technology upgrades and the market adjustment for teachers as part of the normal contract cycle that is happening this year. These are not luxury items — these are necessary and mandatory in order to fulfill the promise of a great education in Lynnfield. Rising special education costs are not unique to our town nor are they optional, and while we work hard to keep students in district, or through partnerships with two local collaboratives, we must support the needs for all students, which sometimes means costly out of district placements. The technology infrastructure in our schools has been running on its last legs for years now, and it is in dire need of an upgrade cycle if we hope to continue using it at all. Finally, as it relates to the upcoming contract for our educators — Lynnfield is a top-tier district because we have top-tier teachers, so it is imperative that we continue to pay our teachers a fair and competitive wage so we can attract and retain quality staff.
A tax override is not something to be taken lightly — it is a tremendous ask for some in our community, especially those on fixed incomes. That is why we have worked hard to prioritize a balance of maintaining the academic excellence of Lynnfield schools against fiscal responsibility to residents — and I believe our proposed budget does just that.
Kim Baker Donahue: I support the proposed $5 million town override, of which $3,388,698 is allocated for the schools, as a necessary step to preserve the quality of education in Lynnfield. Our schools are a cornerstone of our community, but rising costs, inflation and growing student needs have outpaced the 2.5 percent tax cap. While I support the override, I believe we must also ask critical questions: Is 11 percent the right number? Does this include the resources our educators and students need to move our district forward? And how do we ensure this level of funding is sustainable?
This override represents a significant financial ask, and I respect the concerns of seniors and families facing financial pressure. That’s why I’m advocating for a strategic, transparent and data-driven approach that includes:
1. Detailed budget reviews to validate what’s truly needed.
2. Monthly financial reporting from school leadership.
3. Long-term planning to avoid future overrides.
4. Smart use of technology to enhance learning and improve efficiency.
I’m committed to fiscal responsibility and community engagement — ensuring every dollar is spent wisely and that our schools remain strong without facing another crisis next year. Lynnfield deserves thoughtful leadership that plans ahead and keeps the public informed every step of the way.
What is your position on the proposed $1 million included in the override for school technology expenses? Superintendent Tom Geary recently said that the traditional $250,000 that the School Department has received for technology expenses in the town’s capital budget will be insufficient in future years due to the district’s technology needs. What steps should the School Committee and the School Department take to make sure students and staff members have the technology equipment they need in a tight budget environment?
Sheehan: I support the proposed $1M for tech included in the override. Technology is a game changer in education and a tool that sets Lynnfield apart from other districts. Chromebooks are as essential for students today as notebooks and pencils were for previous generations. Furthermore, technology creates efficiencies and time-saving in lessons for both students and teachers, as well as allowing for differentiated learning in small group instructional time.
Just like the overall budget process, there has been a long and robust process to arrive at this point for our technology budget. Last summer, shortly after my election to the School Committee, we reconfigured our Tech Department. An audit was conducted, and positions were reassigned. We promoted a new Ed Tech Dept. Head, Rochelle Cooper, who used the results of the audit to paint a vision for LPS tech moving forward. To establish this process, Mrs. Cooper gave a thorough presentation to the School Committee and public about technology in schools including how it is used, where the problems lie, and what was required to get the district to a sustainable path for technology.
Due to lack of funding, LPS tech has forgone necessary upgrades for many years. This has created an inequitable education experience in our classrooms, as well as safety hazards and cybersecurity vulnerabilities. The proposed $1M tech would not only fund the overdue upgrades to get every classroom up to date, it would also put us on solid footing to maintain these services appropriately going forward.
This $1M will allow us to get Mrs. Cooper’s vision in place, so that we can allocate the appropriate funding moving forward and get back in sync with the appropriate cycle of replacements and upgrades. While I believe this current ask is absolutely necessary, I also acknowledge tight budget environments are the norm and not the exception. In future years, I believe the School Committee should consider new policy or fees that could help to self-fund technology. The reality is that Chromebooks are the textbooks of today, so there may come a day when the school supply list reflects this.
Baker Donahue: I support investing in school technology, but the $1 million included in the override lacks transparency and long-term planning. Originally, the School Committee asked for $650K. The final proposal includes $650K for year one and $350K for year two—but there’s no clear plan beyond that. If the override makes this $1M part of the ongoing budget and future needs don’t match that level, where does the extra money go?
This funding feels more like a capital expense and would be better handled through a debt exclusion, not included in the annual operating budget. Technology systems have predictable lifespans — if we had staggered replacements and tracked needs yearly, we could have avoided this large, sudden ask.
Moving forward, the School Committee must conduct annual technology reviews — identifying current, near-term, and future needs — to avoid another all-at-once overhaul. Taxpayers deserve a clear plan that’s fiscally responsible and sustainable.
Elworthy: The $1M included in the override covers technology capital for both FY26 and FY27. The FY26 request is for $650,000 and the FY27 request is for $350,000, which is the estimated yearly technology request moving forward.
LPS has been receiving $250K for technology capital since 2009 with the exception of FY25 (when we received $125K). Obviously, aside from the fact that costs have risen in the past 15-plus years, the usage of technology in schools has also changed — including the fact that all of our students in grades 1-12 now have one-to-one access to Chromebooks. It is not surprising to me at all that our technology budget has increased both based on cost and on the demands of educational technology in the classroom, which I outlined in the prior question.
The $650K request this year represents a higher than average request because it includes a proposal to replace the district’s aging technology infrastructure. LPS’ excellent Technology Director, who is new to the role this year but a veteran of the district, has given extensive presentations to the School Committee and the public around our infrastructure needs, and led a tour of Select Board, School Committee and Finance Committee members at the elementary schools to see it firsthand. Specifics of the request can be found on the school website with our budget documents. Replacing servers, access points, and other items that are beyond their useful life is critical to the district’s operations.
Superintendent Geary has made it clear that we will likely need a technology capital/hardware budget in the range of $350K-$400K per year in coming years to accommodate our one-to-one Chromebooks, keep teacher and staff laptops up-to-date, and to get the hardware we are replacing the year on a refresh cycle. The goal is to flatten out the refresh cycle, so that we are making yearly investments into keeping our technology infrastructure current and avoiding a large financial ask in any individual year, barring unforeseen circumstances.
I believe the School Committee’s role is to advocate for the needs we see and to make that budget request to the town. This year’s technology capital budget required a significant amount of education to receive buy-in from the Select Board and Finance Committee. We worked with those boards to provide that education and hands on experience so they fully understood the technology needs and how it transforms learning, including bringing them through the schools so they could see the impact firsthand. We also have a technology director in place who is doing the much-needed planning work to ensure that costs are more predictable moving forward.
Many in the community want to expand Lynnfield Public Schools’ program and course offerings, but that is not possible right now due to a tight budget environment. There are other community members who want the district to limit spending. As you try to strike a balance between growth and fiscal responsibility, what is your vision for Lynnfield Public Schools in the next one, three and five years?
Baker Donahue: I believe we can be fiscally responsible while still moving our schools forward. There’s more we should be offering our students, especially at the high school level, since this is the springboard to the next chapter in these students’ lives. That won’t happen if we continue operating year-to-year without a long-term plan; we need to review what works and where there is room for improvement.
In year one, we need to understand how we reached such a significant deficit and put stronger financial processes in place. This includes better identification and communication of projectable expenses year-to-year. Strategic, multi-year planning, across all departments, in addition to honest communication with stakeholders, is essential to prevent ongoing cuts just to maintain level services.
By year three, we should be implementing these strategies, clearly communicating our progress and creating room in the budget to expand programs and course offerings that truly prepare our students for the future.
By year five, I want Lynnfield to be a district that others look to as a model — where financial planning and academic growth go hand in hand. But we need to start now. Without action, we risk losing the very strength that makes families choose Lynnfield.
Elworthy: As a lifelong Lynnfield resident, I can say confidently that Lynnfielders always prioritize education, and that I believe we’ll have support for maintaining the district’s high educational standards. When considering the FY26 budget and the needs of the district, I was conscious of the cuts that LPS has already made, both administratively and with student-facing staff, over the past several years. Despite this, the FY26 budget supported unanimously by our School Committee maintains our core values and an excellent educational system that prioritizes reasonable class sizes from grades K-12, support for students and challenging classes and electives that build well-rounded students.
All that said, my vision for LPS in the coming year is to continue to focus on student achievement and school culture in order to affirm to the community the incredible value that LPS brings to Lynnfield. We have come a long way in the past year limiting distractions in the classroom, improving school culture and adding new electives and AP courses at the high school without a budgetary impact. Should the override pass, we will be able to continue that excellent work of maximizing the resources that we have available – namely, our talented teachers and staff that make LPS what they are.
Next year, Superintendent Geary will be entering his second year and I look forward to hearing his vision and plan for the district, in collaboration with the School Committee.
One of the superintendent’s goals this year was a review of our curriculum throughout the district, so in three years, I’d expect to see some progress from that review implemented. Namely, the expectations placed upon our students are incredibly high — but with the right curriculum and support, we have seen that time and again they are able to reach them. Curriculum does require investment, but it’s often a smaller, one-time cost as opposed to increasing operational costs and it can have an incredible impact on student learning and teacher productivity.
A five-year plan is a bigger challenge and will be informed in many ways by our superintendent’s goals and strategic plan. However, I hope that by that point or earlier, Lynnfield is ready to make investments into the district that will allow us to grow more and add new opportunities for students. Learning has changed so much in just the past five years, so it’s difficult to even envision where we’ll be at that point. But I am confident that if we continue to prioritize education as a town, and to attract and retain some of the best teachers and administrators in the state, we will turn out Lynnfield students who are ready to represent themselves – and our town – as critical thinkers and lifelong learners.
Sheehan: As a School Committee member and a taxpaying citizen of our town with three children in the school system, the balance between district growth and fiscal responsibility is always front of mind. It is important to look for ways to cut inefficiencies or reimagine best practices, while working to push the district forward to always generate high student achievement. While school rankings can be somewhat arbitrary, I think we can all agree that the current and future value of our homes is directly tied to maintaining the strong reputation of our school system.
Recently, we have worked hard to grow resources available to our students, including expanding the high school Program of Studies offering more electives, opening up access to Advanced Placement (AP) courses to more students and maintaining appropriate class sizes at all grades, all with minimal to no budget impact. We’ve reconfigured central office positions, specifically moving from three superintendents to two, saving money that we invested back into the classroom. By investing in technology, we allow for differentiated learning within the classroom led by one teacher instead of multiple staff.
However, we can always find better and more creative ways to do more with less, and we must continue to innovate in order to do so. The goal for this next year is to secure the necessary funding for level services, upgrade long-overdue technology needs to create a more equitable learning environment and finalize a fair and fiscally responsible teacher contract. Moving forward, however, we must think creatively and strategically in order to grow resources available to our students, and as a business owner, I believe we’ve barely scratched the surface on non-tax driven revenue for our schools.
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