Kostan leaving on high note

LYNN – The city’s English as a second language students are making progress that exceeds state averages and are learning to speak English better and sooner than ever before, Superintendent Nicholas Kostan informed the School Committee Thursday night.The state statistics released this week combined with the recent announcement that U.S. News and World Report has named Classical and English high schools among the best in the country for a second time allowed the retiring Kostan to end his final School Committee meeting on a high note, toting the accomplishment of his students.According to state statistics, Lynn’s English as a second language students are improving at a 70 percent rate, eight percentage points higher than the state target and four points higher than the state average.The improvement was particularly impressive in grade 2, where students outperformed the state target by 14 percent while grades 3-12 outperformed the target by 5 percent.”It looks like the district is very much on target and has exceeded state goals in every category,” he said. “You hear a lot from (Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester) about performance gaps in certain sub groups, and the ELL students are one of those groups we are trying to make progress on and it looks like we are on target.Thursday night was Kostan’s final committee meeting after seven years as superintendent, and commending the high schools was an ideal way to go out for the lifelong Lynner who has a history with both schools.”It is very gratifying that both high schools made the list again this year as a graduate of Lynn English and a former principal of Lynn Classical, it makes me very proud,” he said. “I couldn’t be happier that our two academic high schools have made this list, and I have no doubt that Lynn Vocational will make the list in the future.”While Kostan thanked just about everyone in the room during his final superintendent’s report, the gratitude that he received in return from the school board more than humbled the superintendent.”The Lynn school system will be a poorer place in his absence,” Mayor and School Committee Chairman Edward J. Clancy Jr. said. “If there is one word that fits Nick to a T it is that he is a man of character and a man of integrity.”Every negotiation, every tough decision that he has had to make as superintendent, no one has ever intimated or said that it was done for anything less than the right reasons.”Other committee members followed Clancy’s remarks with kind words of their own, calling Kostan a gentleman, friend and “A-plus human being.”While Thursday marked the last time that Kostan will sit on the school board, he will not officially retire until January. Although his official retirement date is set as Jan. 1, Kostan told the committee that he would be willing to stay on and work the job later into the month if needed.”I have been going through the system since I was 5 years old,” Kostan said. “So it is going to be a big change for me not to be a part of it.”