LYNNFIELD — It’s been a busy week for selectman Chris Barrett.
Everett School Superintendent Priya Tahiliani announced Friday that Barrett had been chosen as the new principal at the Webster School, an elementary school for grades K-5.
Two days earlier, Barrett was voted Chairman of the Board of Selectmen. His first official act was convening Saturday’s Town Meeting, albeit in an unorthodox way as the meeting was held outdoors on the high school football field.
“It’s been a great week,” said Barrett, who has served as Everett High School vice principal since 2016. “Seeing over 100 people here (Saturday) at Town Meeting on a hot football field shows they know how important it is to pass this budget for our kids. It also tells that Lynnfield is always thinking about spending their money wisely.”
Barrett and his wife, Beth, a fourth-grade teacher in Everett, have two children, 10-year-old Michael and 11-year-old Kaylee, both of whom attend Lynnfield public schools.
A graduate of Merrimack College, Barrett earned an MBA at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
He said he is a late-comer to education, having started his career in September, 2007 as a Social Studies and Media Science teacher at Everett High.
Prior to that, he worked in the insurance business and also held various positions in government, most recently as the Chief of Staff to Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey and Director of Municipal Affairs in the Office of the Governor (Mitt Romney) from 2004-2006.
Barrett served on the School Committee for three years before becoming a selectman in 2015.
Barrett sees three major areas of focus pertaining to the town as the commonwealth gradually reopens, starting with the “economic wellbeing of the community and the successful reopening of our businesses and schools.
“We must continue to provide the leadership in all areas necessary to manage this emergency crisis currently confronting our community,” Barrett said.
Barrett said the town’s schools are facing unprecedented school space challenges, as the town’s school-age population at the elementary level continues to explode. He also sees challenges in the area of finance.
“We look forward to working with our new Superintendent (Kristen Vogel) as she transitions into her role and remain dedicated to working with the School Committee as they navigate a very difficult year for the school budget,” he said. “I look forward to supporting the charge of the School Building Committee as it works to fix the issues of school space at our elementary schools. We will remain dedicated to working with the School Committee to make sure our students have only the very best services in and out of the classroom. The future of America is in the classroom.”
The final item on Barrett’s to-do list is to jump on board the movement to change the name of the board to a gender-neutral one.
“My daughter Kaylee said it best last week, she said,’Dad, why is it selectmen and what about me?’” Barrett said. “I know we will be the leaders that we need to be on this issue and we must begin the process to make this change now,” adding he has already asked (Town Administrator) Rob Dolan and (Assistant Town Administrator) Bob Curtain what needs to be done to “make this happen.”
Barrett is also committed to strengthening the town’s stance against racism. He was a featured speaker in the town’s Black Lives Matter protest earlier this month.
“There is no place for hate speech and hateful behavior in the Town of Lynnfield,” he said. ‘We condemn any vile act and abhorrent act or racism, whis is completely against our community values of respect and tolerance, in the strongest terms. Lynnfield stands with all who are targeted by hate speech and racist acts.”
Barrett said his greatest honor was hiring Jane Tremblay as the district’s superintendent.
“Jane Tremblay gave us her best during her exemplary career and our children, teachers and community are in a far better place because of it,” he said. “She may be retiring, but her legacy will impact us in a positive way for many many years to come.”
Barrett also is grateful to outgoing chairman, Phil Crawford, for his leadership during these uncertain times.
“The world changed during his tenure and he led the charge to focus our work and leadership on leading Lynnfield through a pandemic of historic proportions,” Barrett said. “Phil should be thanked for the great work he has done leading our town.”
