By DAN TOMASELLO
LYNNFIELD — A former town official and a political newcomer pulled nomination papers for the one-year School Committee seats that will be appearing on the Town Election ballot on Tuesday, April 9.
Bryant Street resident Kristen Grieco Elworthy and Russet Lane resident Jenny Sheehan pulled papers for the one-year School Committee seats on Jan. 4 and Jan. 5 respectively. Both women are looking to succeed former School Committee Chair Rich Sjoberg and Vice Chair Stacy Dahlstedt, who resigned on Dec. 29 in the wake of the ongoing Lynnfield Public Schools crisis.
Elworthy, who previously served on the Finance Committee and the Public Safety Building Committee, has a fifth-grader at Lynnfield Middle School, and a third-grader and a kindergartner enrolled at Summer Street School. She is serving as a parent representative on the Summer Street School Council this year.
“As a product of the Lynnfield Public Schools and a parent of three LPS students, I’m excited for the opportunity to help usher the district through what will undoubtedly be a challenging period,” Elworthy wrote on her Facebook page. “I believe I can bring a fresh perspective to the committee, one that is infused with practicality, problem solving and collaboration. I do not expect that the coming year will be smooth sailing for Lynnfield – quite the opposite, in fact. But I do believe that we will come out of this phase stronger and better, and continue Lynnfield’s status as a leader in Massachusetts schools.”
Over the past two months, Elworthy has been expressing concerns about the School Committee’s handling of the teacher and staff morale crisis, communication with parents and guardians, and budget transparency. She has also aired other concerns about the school board over the past three years.
Elworthy wrote that, “There are challenges that Lynnfield is facing that are unique to our district, and others that are shared by educators nationwide.”
“We can take those and make them into excuses, or we can decide that they are opportunities to problem solve, innovate and collaborate in a way that will allow our district to thrive long-term and set an example for other districts,” Elworthy stated. “This will require us to have and facilitate difficult conversations that hear all voices and bring them together for a unified outcome that balances the interests of our students, LPS and the taxpayers in our town. As many have seen, I don’t shy away from hard topics, and I am straightforward, honest and clear in my point of view. I believe these qualities are key for any School Committee member moving forward. With budget challenges sure to come, creating credibility and accountability for how this district operates will be key to getting the support we need from residents to continue running a top-tier school system – and I believe I can contribute to that.”
Elworthy stressed that she will listen to different constituents if she is elected to the School Committee.
“Leadership requires listening to all voices – administrators, teachers, staff, students, parents, residents and fellow boards and committees,” stated Elworthy. “There is a wealth of knowledge and skills in Lynnfield, and moving forward together to leverage those is how we will unlock innovation, different thinking and solutions that will keep our district at the top. I have experienced this talent firsthand as a member of the Finance Committee, the Summer Street School Council and as part of the Public Building Safety Committee – all of them successful because of the time and experience that residents and town officials contribute to make our town a better place to live.”
Elworthy is a former journalist who now owns the public relations company Seven Hills Communications. She earned a bachelor of arts in Communication and Psychology from Boston College, and a masters of science in Journalism from Boston University. She graduated from Lynnfield High School in 2000. Elworthy moved back to town with her family in 2013. She and her family also volunteer on behalf of local nonprofit organizations such as Citizens Inn/Haven from Hunger. Elworthy’s parents and two sisters also live in town.
“Ultimately, running for School Committee is about my three kids and their fellow students,” Elworthy stated. “I want them to walk away from Lynnfield with the education and sense of community that I had. I believe that I bring the credibility, transparency, honesty and communication skills to move the district forward.”
Sheehan has a first-grader and a kindergartner enrolled at Summer Street, and a preschooler at The Bethlehem School at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. She has been expressing concerns about increasing class sizes at the two elementary schools over the past 10 months.
“It is with great humility and excitement that I am proud to announce I have officially pulled papers and intend to run for a one-year term on the Lynnfield School Committee,” Sheehan wrote on her Facebook page. “I certainly never expected to end up here when I first began advocating for smaller classes nearly 10 months ago. However, in the time since, I’ve spent countless hours researching town policies, reading budget documents, re-watching previous committee meetings and collaborating with dozens of amazing parents and educators in this town. And while I am saddened by the series of events that have created a need for interim School Committee members, I feel I owe it to all the amazing citizens and teachers of this town who have invested their time, confided in me their experiences and shared with me their knowledge over these past months to step up at this moment and try to make a positive impact for the school system and all its stakeholders.”
Sheehan told the Villager that she also has concerns about the School Committee’s handling of communication with parents and guardians.
“I have reached out to the School Committee over the past year about different things, mostly the class size policy,” said Sheehan. “Through that process, I found out that the way communication happens and the procedural way of doing things, in my opinion, just doesn’t work in a very collaborative and transparent manner. It can definitely be improved.”
Sheehan also said she believes the School Committee needs more representation from elementary school parents and guardians. She noted that newly appointed School Committee Chair Kate DePrizio, who is running for a second three-year term this April, is the only member who has children in the elementary schools.
“Getting more involved led me to find that we were lacking representation from the elementary schools, which is 50 percent of our district,” said Sheehan. “Most of the School Committee members don’t have kids in elementary school and their kids are now older. We need that representation too, but we also have to stay connected to those younger learners and those teachers.”
Sheehan is currently a member of the School Street School PTO board and is co-president of the Bethlehem School PTO. While volunteering at Summer Street, she said teachers and staff told her about “a lot of the challenges they were facing.”
“With three seats opening on the School Committee, we need people to step up who are engaged in conversations, know what is going on and want to help,” said Sheehan. “I am willing to talk and collaborate with the teachers, and work collaboratively with the remaining School Committee members as well as the Select Board and the Finance Committee. Being a team player is something I have always done well.”
Sheehan is the owner of btone Fitness locations in Middleton and Lexington.
“As a parent to three young students, a member of the SSS PTO board, co-president of the Bethlehem Pre-School PTO and a successful small business owner, I feel I can bring relevant and impactful experience to the difficult but incredibly important tasks that lie in the immediate future for the School Committee,” Sheehan wrote on her Facebook page. “Furthermore, this town is blessed to have an abundance of dedicated and talented parents and teachers that possess both a wealth of knowledge about the education system, and a deep sense of commitment to our town.”