To the editor:
I was disappointed to find out recently that DESE (Department of Elementary and Secondary Education) has decided to move closer to approving an expansion of KIPP Academy in Lynn. The acting commissioner of DESE, Russell Johnston, recommended that the board approve a proposal that would add 450 seats to the charter school. I fully support Mayor Nicholson, Lynn Superintendent Evonne Alvarez, and Lynn Teacher’s Union president Sheila O’Neil’s opposition to this expansion as laid out in their joint letter to the editor in the Commonwealth Beacon.
As a member of the Lynn School Committee and more importantly a Lynn taxpayer, I strongly oppose this expansion. This addition would eliminate 8 million dollars a year from a Lynn Public Schools Budget. As we all know this is a taxpayer-funded budget, and though we may disagree with some of the line items, I think we can all say money spent on our students is money well spent. To take an additional 8 million dollars a year to support KIPP Academy, on top of the 30 million that taxpayers dole out annually for KIPP already, would have devastating consequences for the students and educators of LPS.
I have stated and will again, I know that the teachers and students at KIPP Academy have no control over this budget dispute. In fact, I hold no ill will toward them at all. I know that the educators there are working hard, the students are learning and planning for post-graduate life and the families have confidence that their children are in the right place for them to succeed. The fact remains, however, that they do not face the same challenges as LPS and ultimately KIPP can decide on the students that attend their institution. LPS is open to all and the educators, administrators and School Committee are striving to always improve upon the experience our children have. Our tax money should not be taken away from these efforts.
Over the last year and under the leadership of Superintendent Alvarez, her deputies, Mayor Nicholson, and the current School Committee, LPS has put forward plans that will improve the LPS experience for both our students and staff. In 2025, a new innovative school will open for 6th and 9th graders with plans to increase enrollment over time to grades 6- 12. City Arts and Sciences Academy at Fecteau-Leary (CASA) as it will be known, will create an exciting STEAM pathway for our students. Our already-established Frederick Douglass Collegiate Academy will be moving to the newly acquired Eastern Bank Building. This new space will certainly create a 20th-century learning environment for our students. Over time, these new learning spaces will also alleviate the overcrowding that we are currently experiencing in our high schools. At 100 Bennett St., the previous administration building, we have created a new learning space for our pre-schoolers in the city. These are just a few of the improvements planned. We have also adopted many more curriculum and policy updates that will enhance the student and staff experience. The point is, that LPS is truly gaining traction after many years of stagnation. Why would we take resources away from this progress? We should be encouraging this growth, not impeding it by taking much-needed money away.
Please join me and many other city leaders in opposing the expansion of KIPP Academy. The board will vote on Feb. 25, so your help is urgent. Please reach out to members of the DESE board and express your feelings. An expansion for KIPP means a subtraction from the nearly 17,000 students of Lynn Public Schools.
Eric Dugan
Lynn School Committee
