Latham: Space a challenge

LYNN – “Diversity, tolerance and understanding” define local public schools, Shoemaker School parent Scott Brown said Wednesday, but there is an area where he said Lynn education could improve significantly.?My gripe is the buildings – the city needs new facilities,” he said.Brown?s first-day-of-school complaint echoes School Superintendent Catherine Latham?s concerns about the city?s aging public schools and increasing enrollment. Latham said enrollment in the city?s schools topped the 15,000-student mark Wednesday morning – a nearly 300-student increase from June enrollment statistics.?We?re stable right now for space, but we have a few challenges,” she said.Latham and fellow administrators start meeting one of those challenges Friday when they join parents and kindergartners from three overcrowded schools in touring the newly created early childhood center located at 90 Commercial St.The superintendent won School Committee approval in April to convert second floor office space in 90 Commercial into 10 classrooms where about 260 kindergartners will start school on Sept. 9.Friday?s tour is aimed at easing parents? concerns about sending their children by bus from Tracy, Ford and Brickett schools to 90 Commercial in order to ease overcrowding in those schools.Latham also won City Council support last month to place a question on the Sept. 17 ballot asking city voters for permission to borrow $92 million to build a new Marshall Middle School providing the state provides an 80 percent reimbursement for the project?s costs.The superintendent has told elected officials Pickering Middle School needs replacement and they have told her, in turn, to plan for replacing aging city elementary schools.She took time away from those challenges Wednesday morning to greet Brown and other parents sending their children off to a new school year at Shoemaker. Sacdiya Jamac, a Somalian-American mother of two, dropped her son and daughter off in the schoolyard and Joe Zukas looked on as Latham asked his daughter, Riley, a couple of first-day-of-school questions.?Are you excited?” she asked and laughed when the third-grader quickly nodded.School administrators and police reminded local drivers Wednesday to stay alert for children crossing streets on the way to school. Lt. Richard Donnelly said officers are patrolling streets near schools looking for drivers speeding in school zones posted 20 miles per hour, passing school buses loading or unloading students, failing to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks and other violations.?Many students will be walking to school, and drivers should anticipate the unexpected,” Donnelly stated.Donnelly urged parents to talk to children about using marked crosswalks and looking in both directions before crossing streets. He reminded drivers dropping off and picking up children to not double park or park in crosswalks.Local schools also received 1,150 backpacks Wednesday donated and purchased by Citizens Banks as part of its Gear for Grades initiative. Each pack contained pencils, pens, crayons, glue sticks and other school supplies, bank spokesman Andy Hoglund stated in a press release.