LYNN — Superintendent Dr. Patrick Tutwiler has proposed a controversial solution for how the school district can create the additional classroom space needed for the overcrowded Lynn English High School Life Skills Program.
Under the proposal, which was met with some concerns from the School Committee last Thursday, some of the Lynn Public Schools (LPS) students participating in the special education program for the 2020-21 school year would be taught in a classroom at KIPP Academy Lynn Collegiate.
The charter school would benefit from the partnership as well, Tutwiler said, as some of KIPP’s special education students would be taught in the classroom. KIPP has students who qualify for a Life Skills program, but currently does not have such a program at its school, Tutwiler said.
Tutwiler said the need for expansion was prompted by the growth of the Life Skills Program and continued overcrowding at Lynn English, which has been further exacerbated because the city has not been able to secure modular classrooms for the upcoming school year.
“Urgent situations such as these call for creative problem solving,” said Tutwiler. “There’s no (similar) collaboration of this sort in the state of Massachusetts.
“I know that, from a political standpoint, there are some challenges between district and charter schools. I acknowledge that,” Tutwiler said. “In this particular scenario, we, meaning Lynn Public Schools and KIPP Lynn, are both committed to serving Lynn youth well. Everyone is wearing the same jersey in this scenario, and it reads ‘Lynn’ on the front.”
An LPS Life Skills teacher and paraprofessional from both LPS and KIPP would teach in the charter school classroom, Tutwiler said. Life Skills is a sub separate program that covers both a mix of traditional subjects and life skills training.
But some members of the School Committee, citing the history of tension between the city’s school district and KIPP, were not entirely receptive to the proposal, which is subject to the panel’s approval.
School Committee member Jared Nicholson said he wanted to ensure that any Memorandum of Agreement between the two school systems included language that ensured that all members of the Lynn team that Tutwiler mentioned were being treated the same.
For instance, he said KIPP cited its goal of expanding its special education services as part of the school’s rationale for expansion, and he suggested that extending the Life Skills Program to the charter school’s students would eliminate their need for growth in that department.
Committee vice chair Donna Coppola and member Lorraine Gately cited frustrations with KIPP benefiting from both public and private funds, while still impacting the LPS budget.
“Even when my kids were in school, we were fighting with the Teachers Union in regards to how we knew money was going to be leaving us,” said Coppola. “Financially they’re still a drain on us. I understand about the space.”
Gately also spoke of how KIPP leadership has spoken critically of Lynn Public Schools in the past.
“Every other year they come in front of DESE (Department of Elementary and Secondary Education) saying how inadequate we are and saying that we don’t meet (the needs of) students, and are asking for more students to be placed into their schools,” said Gately. “Every time they go over there, we lose money for students. Then, they send them back.”
However, Tutwiler said that if the KIPP partnership is not deemed a viable solution, some students would likely have to be placed out of district in Beverly since the modular classrooms will not be in place to alleviate the overcrowding at English.
Phylitia Jamerson, the district’s administrator of special education, said there are two Lynn English Life Skills classrooms that are at full capacity. Since there are no seniors in the class, none of the students will be graduating, which leaves no room for the 11 incoming Life Skills students that are moving on from the eighth grade Discovery Academy.
“I understand the history,” said Tutwiler. “I guess the idea of serving these students is more important to me than any historical issues. I would like to keep Lynn students in Lynn. If we don’t do this and I can’t find another viable option, these students will be outplaced. We won’t have a classroom to put them in.”
Tutwiler said he’s consulted with KIPP and the DESE about the proposal. He said DESE is researching whether the partnership would be legal and expects to hear back by May 1.
The DESE has expressed support, Tutwiler said, but indicated there may be a snag regarding LPS students benefiting from charter school dollars through the shared classroom space.
If the DESE signs off on the partnership, Tutwiler said he would draft a Memorandum of Agreement and ask for the School Committee’s approval at their next meeting.
Mayor Thomas M. McGee, committee chairman, and members John Ford and Michael Satterwhite mentioned their past concerns with charter schools, but spoke favorably about the proposal. Four votes from the seven-member panel would be needed for approval.
“When you first mentioned this to me, I considered it an unholy alliance,” said Ford. “But I think it’s a time to think outside of the box. Necessity is the mother of invention. I think we are going to have to work more with each other as the circumstances we’re faced with are going to continue to present themselves. That’s why I’m all in favor of it.”
Of the allegations raised by some members of the School Committee, Caleb Dolan, KIPP Massachusetts executive director, said he would rather remain positive and focus on working together to do what’s best for Lynn kids.
“We are incredibly excited to partner with Lynn Public Schools and any of the other great student organizations in Lynn in any way, shape or form that can help the families of Lynn,” said Dolan. “This was a great opportunity for us to benefit from their expertise and it also felt like it was a really exciting win-win and potentially the first partnership of its kind in the state. We’re excited to do whatever we can that (works) for students and families.”
