By DAN TOMASELLO
LYNNFIELD — A standing-room only crowd urged the Select Board and the Finance Committee to support the proposed $5 million Proposition 2 ½ override for fiscal year 2026 and beyond during a public hearing on Monday.
The residents weighed in on the currently proposed override after Select Board Chair Dick Dalton and Select Board Vice Chair Phil Crawford both suggested that the proposal could change by the Select Board’s next meeting on Tuesday, April 8 (see separate story).
New Meadow Road resident Julie Coiteux said approving the override is “the only way to preserve the quality education Lynnfield offers.”
“This was the primary reason why we chose to buy a home and raise a family here in 2018,” said Coiteux. “It is important to recognize that this issue extends beyond families with children in our schools. The quality of our education system directly affects property values. While no one wants to raise taxes, maintaining the excellence of our schools is a necessity, not a luxury. Lynnfield’s reputation for outstanding education is the reason why our community remains a desirable place to raise a family. It is our responsibility to ensure this continues.”
Hutchins Circle resident Lorraine Wilson said she opposed the $149,984 that would be cut from the Senior Center’s budget if the override fails.
“Loneliness is an epidemic in this country, and the Senior Center is the only place you can go to socialize,” said Wilson.
Town Administrator Rob Dolan said approving the override would prevent the $149,984 from being cut from the Senior Center.
In response to a question from Wilson, Dolan said the Senior Center will not close but it will be open for fewer hours and fewer days if the override fails.
“The only position right now being reduced is the chef,” said Dolan. “There will be no other positions unless the override loses. If the override wins, everything will be put back except for that position.”
Lowell Street resident Jennifer LaBonte said the School Department will be forced to lay off all of its interventionists as well as a number of teachers and paraprofessionals.
“I am here tonight to ask you to ensure that the schools are sufficiently funded to keep current services in place, including interventionists for our students,” said LaBonte. “As a parent, it has been truly inspiring to witness the profound difference targeted support can make in a child’s life. When my daughter was struggling significantly with her reading, we were understandably concerned about her academic future. However, thanks to the dedicated interventionists who worked closely with her, we have seen an incredible transformation.”
Keniston Road resident Christine Schedin, who teaches second grade at Huckleberry Hill, also said she supported the proposed override.
“The quality of our children’s education cannot be maintained without the override,” said Schedin. “Without the funding, we will have significantly less teachers, no interventionists and less paraprofessionals. This override is largely for our kids and our students.”
In response to a question from Council on Aging Board of Directors Vice Chair Rod Boone, Dolan said he decided to eliminate the Senior Center’s chef at the end of the current fiscal year instead of other positions that were proposed. He said the Senior Center’s activities coordinator, bus driver and outreach worker each provide critical services for seniors.
“The position we reduced is a position that, between food and salary, is over $110,000,” said Dolan. “We serve four meals a week, two in-house and two take-out. The number one reason why people go to congregate meal sites is not because they have income issues, but because they are lonely. We also know that the federal government provides money for meal services. I can get the same meals five days a week for absolutely nothing.”
Center Village resident Karin Round said the $261,318 that would be cut from the Lynnfield Public Library “would be pretty devastating if the override doesn’t go through.”
“Decertification will have a devastating impact on an institution in town that is open and available to every member of the town,” said Round. “Instead of being a gateway to the world, the library would only be a building with the books that it has available.”
Former Town Moderator Joe Markey urged residents to support the current $5 million override. He also urged the Select Board to “listen to the experts,” including Dolan and Superintendent Tom Geary.
“It is important to point out that this $1 million that some want to magically come out of the budget now at the 11th hour is somewhat suspicious and suspect,” said Markey. “It will eliminate those two firefighters. Creating a stabilization fund for tech just puts a Band-Aid on a problem. It doesn’t solve the root cause. What this budget does at $5 million is it solves the crisis that is going on right now. The only revenue we are going to get to support teachers, support our department heads and support our community is going to be by raising taxes. That is the unfortunate problem.”
Four Lynnfield Middle School teachers, who are members of the Lynnfield Teachers Association, also spoke in favor of the $5 million Proposition 2 ½ override.
“I have a strong sense of what this community values and how this community has maintained envy among its peers,” said eighth grade social studies teacher Michael Wein, who grew up in town. “Some folks are lucky to be born into the Lynnfield community, and so many others work hard to get here. They are not coming for the nightlife, and they are not coming for the beaches. Lynnfield’s real gravity is its schools. It always has been.”
Dalton thanked the large crowd of residents and the four educators for weighing in on the proposed $5 million override.
“I know there is some disappointment that has been expressed about us waiting until April 8,” said Dalton. “Again, I feel very strongly that there are a number of things that we have been considering and it is an evolving process. There is an obligation for us to do our due diligence.”
Dalton said a proposal was recently floated to school officials that entails creating a special education stabilization fund.
“That will really benefit the schools and will benefit the financial uncertainty that goes along with trying to project what the special education expenditure is going to be in a fiscal year,” said Dalton.
Massachusetts General Law (MGL) Chapter 71, Section 37 stipulates that, “school committees shall review and approve budgets for public education in the district, and shall establish educational goals and policies for the schools in the district consistent with the requirements of law and statewide goals.” MGL Chapter 71,Section 34 states “the vote of the legislative body of a city or town shall establish the total appropriation for the support of the public schools, but may not limit the authority of the school committee to determine expenditures within the total appropriation.”
Dalton stressed that the Select Board was not wasting time by doing its due diligence. He reiterated that he supports Lynnfield Public Schools, especially its teachers and support staff.
“We are talking about refining the budget in a way that increases accountability,” said Dalton. “The school system is important regardless of what age you are you are, and whether you have children in school or not. It is something that attracted my wife and I to this community 40 years ago, and it is why my daughter and her three children live here today. At the end of the day, we will put forth a proposal that maybe not everyone will agree with, but it will serve the community properly. We will have a final decision and things to be considered at the April 8 meeting.”
While Finance Committee member Sarah Kelley said Dalton feels as though he is “not wasting time,” she said, “We are wasting time to educate the public properly.”
“Mr. Dolan has set up a round of community forums to speak to the public, including a PTO meeting that we set up for (April 1) and invited both elementary schools to join,” said Kelley. “We have all changed our schedules around a lot to be able to hear a clear budget that is now very unclear. I just ask you to take that into account. We also have a week of school vacation right before Town Meeting, so we don’t really have a lot of time to educate the public.”
Dalton said in response: “I would hope that it is an important enough subject for everyone in this town that they fulfill their obligation to educate themselves too.”