It’s been a banner week for Lynn Public Schools. And it represents a pair of victories for, among others, Superintendent Dr. Evonne Alvarez.
Earlier this month, Alvarez received a strong evaluation for the 2023-24 school year from the School Committee. Mayor Jared Nicholson, also chairman of the committee, said the board evaluated Alvarez as having met or exceeded all of the goals set by the committee for the 2023-24 school year.
“The committee clearly sees a lot of great momentum and significant potential for excellence,” he said.
Alvarez came into the position on the heels of LPS’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, which, Nicholson said, hit the department hard. And the schools have made great strides in the effort to get back on their feet.
This week, though, there was a twin win for the city’s public high schools. The Healey-Driscoll Administration awarded nearly $400,000 in grants as part of a $1.7 million Career and Technical Education (CTE) Partnership Grant to six Massachusetts schools and school districts.
The partnerships, known as “After Dark” programs, take place after the school day and create collaboration between career and technical education schools and local comprehensive traditional public high schools to provide students at public schools with access to career and technical education.
The $397,625 awarded to LPS allows for 48 more seats annually to the program at Lynn Vocational Technical Institute in advanced manufacturing, HVAC, metal fabrication and joining technologies, and health assisting, which are all areas where there is locally high demand in the labor market.
Also this week, Tech received another $750,000 in grant money that will go toward a new Construction Craft Laborer program. The grant supports schools in upgrading equipment and expanding training programs.
We congratulate Alvarez, the school department, and the city for their progress. In a world growing increasingly reliant on technology, Lynn Tech is positioning itself as a leader. And Dr. Evonne Alvarez is making her mark as a leader as well.
