Mayor, council conduct civics lesson

LYNN – Now that the Lynn City Council has appropriated the money for a feasibility study for a new Pickering Middle School, the next step is to come up with a projected enrollment by the time the school is built.The council earmarked $750,000 from the city?s free money account to fund the study, which is required under the rules of the Massachusetts School Building Authority in order to receive up to 80 percent reimbursement for the construction of a new school building.?I was beyond thrilled (that the council appropriated the money),” said Lynn Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Catherine Latham. “And the MSBA is also happy. Clearly, the support of the council carried a lot of weight with the MSBA.Council President Daniel F. Cahill said the decision to appropriate came about after last-minute negotiations with Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy.?There is no time to waste,” he said. “We need schools. We have a very short window here, and we had to get this done.”Cahill said that part of the city?s plan to revitalize itself is to do everything it can to keep people with school-age children here, and the construction of a new Marshall Middle School – slated to be completed in September – and plans for a new Pickering are crucial to that effort.?These two schools are linchpins of the city,” he said. “Those are the schools that will make people stay, and reinvest, in Lynn or make them leave.?Folks might feel comfortable sending their kids to elementary schools here, but by middle school age, that?s when parents make decisions on sending their children to private schools, and whether Lynn is even in their future.”Hand in hand with that is school overcrowding, which is something that concerns Latham. She is concerned that Marshall, by the time it opens, might already be over-enrolled.Before the necessary parties (the city and the MSBA) sign off on a new school, they must agree on a projected enrollment figure. This year?s Pickering enrollment was 650, and Latham says that figure could double by the time a new school is completed.?We are aware we?ll need a much larger Pickering,” Latham said.Latham has already received a report from the MSBA that shows total school enrollment in Lynn has climbed steadily since 2008, from just above 13,000 to more than 16,000. And, she said, there?s no indication those numbers will go the other way anytime soon.She?s hoping that by building a school large enough to accommodate 1,300 students she can alleviate some of the overcrowding problems in Marshall and Breed, the city?s other middle school.Although the state is required to look at possible refurbishment of Pickering as a matter of formality, Cahill is convinced that?s not possible.?Based on my assessment,” he said, “that is extremely unlikely. So, we look at this (appropriation of the money) as progress toward our goal of a new Pickering.”Cahill said the city has plenty of support behind it.?The state treasurer (Deborah Goldberg) has been in the school, and she sees the need,” Cahill said.?Getting these schools built has been a big priority for both me and (Ward 1 Councilor) Wayne Lozzi, who worked really hard to kick this out of committee and get it done. We spread the wealth here. It?s a team effort.?We?re very pleased that with a tough budget, we were able to make this happen,” he said.