To the editor:
On Tuesday, March 11, Superintendent Tom Geary presented his FY26 budget recommendation to the School Committee (the meeting is viewable on the Lynnfield Vimeo channel). As the town considers an override vote this April at Town Meeting, I believe it is helpful to describe the budget process from the point of view of a member of the School Committee Budget Subcommittee.
The entire School Committee and the Superintendent were aware that this year would be tremendously complex, as we would be navigating a likely budget deficit to maintain services. As a result, we have collaborated with other town departments and committees since last fall, including:
Meetings with the School Committee Chair, Select Board Chair, Superintendent, and Town Administrator for general updates, beginning last fall.
Participation in the town’s Capital Improvement Plan process, starting in September, to provide both immediate and longer-term capital needs for the district.
Two School Committee Workshops (November and December) to discuss budget priorities.
Presentation from Principals and Administrative Leadership Team to the entire School Committee (December) on FY26 budgetary needs.
Two School Committee presentations from Technology Department Head Rochelle Cooper (December and February) on the district’s technology capital needs.
Two meetings between the Finance Committee subcommittee and the School Budget Subcommittee (January and March)
Superintendent Preliminary Budget Presentation to School Committee (January)
Superintendent Budget Recommendation to School Committee (March)
Frequent meetings between the Superintendent and the district’s Administrative Leadership Team (including building principals) to get updated information on budgetary needs and priorities, and analyze potential outcomes of budget scenarios.
Feedback from individual School Committee members to Superintendent Geary to ensure their questions were addressed in presentations and throughout the process.
Superintendent Geary and I have endeavored to be communicative of the district’s needs with both town leadership and the public and shared budget information early and often.
In the end, what is and is not included in Superintendent Geary’s FY26 budget recommendation was both a financial and a leadership decision — one I support him on. With the knowledge that the entire town is in a deficit that will require an override, Superintendent Geary made the recommendation this would not be the appropriate time to add new positions.
At the same time, the district has made many cuts and offsets in the years leading up to this moment and Superintendent Geary believes that cutting any further will impact services to our students and our educational environment. I agree with his assessment.
I am cognizant that an override places an ask directly on voters that will impact their taxes. As Superintendent Geary stated in his budget presentation on March 11, which I encourage folks to watch on the town’s Vimeo, the goal of the FY26 budget is to continue the excellent educational environment we currently offer — not to add new positions.
That said, this budget does not limit in any way the Committee’s efforts to improve our system and work towards our Vision of a Graduate. Despite budgetary challenges in the past year, we have successfully strategized ways to continue striving and improving the educational experience for Lynnfield students to move the district forward.
Working with our terrific staff, we’ve successfully piloted a new curriculum, improved school culture through policy decisions, and added new electives at the high school without adding new staff. We will continue with this vision moving forward, focusing on student achievement and school culture.
I invite the community to continue to engage with the budget process, to watch formal presentations of our budget, and to reach out to me or other members of the School Committee to ask us questions. I understand that an override would have a financial impact on residents, and I am confident in the FY26 budget process as developed by Superintendent Geary.
*Note: the views expressed are my own, and are not intended to represent the full School Committee.
Kristen Elworthy
Lynnfield School Committee Chair,
Budget Subcommittee Member
