To the editor:
I am writing to urge Lynnfield community members to vote for Kim Baker Donahue for a seat on the Lynnfield School Committee. Kim has the courage and integrity to re-focus the Lynnfield Public Schools and help steer the district in the right direction. Kim is committed to working towards the best outcomes for all our schools and all our students.
First and foremost, she wants to ensure that Lynnfield Public Schools continue to have a reputation that motivates families to move to our town and to help ensure that we are a district that strives for academic excellence and continues to inspire and educate all learners, from our youngest to our oldest. She is a proud lifelong Lynnfield resident and a product of the Lynnfield Public Schools. She has “skin in the game” with two sons in the Lynnfield school system, as well as a niece and nephew who collectively span elementary, middle, and high school giving her a true focus on all schools and all students.
Kim is a fighter, a collaborator, a listener, and above all a helper.
Kim went to law school to fight for the rights of children. After graduating in 2003, she focused her career advocating for children and parents involved with the Department of Children and Families and she realized that building relationships is an essential part of the work she did then and does now. She has a lot of experience volunteering on various boards of directors in the non-profit world and was the President of the North Suburban Jewish Community Center whose primary program is a daycare/preschool. Subsequently, she has experience working with teachers, staff, and other stakeholders in budgeting and salary negotiations, even under difficult financial circumstances, while providing the best programs and education for the children- this experience is what Lynnfield needs now in these challenging fiscal times.
Kim believes in respectful and focused collaboration and understands that collaboration doesn’t necessarily immediately lead to consensus and that open discussions about issues affecting the Lynnfield School District need to be held in public. As an attorney and trained trust officer, she will bring her experience as a strong negotiator to work collaboratively and communicate effectively with parties who may have different opinions- an essential skill set for contract negotiations. The Lynnfield School Committee has a responsibility to the community to work collaboratively, ethically, and honorably and Kim will do this, as well as listen to, and be responsive to, parents, educators, and community feedback and concerns.
Additionally, as a trust and estate lawyer, she has made a career out of helping people plan and prepare for their and their family’s futures, and she will bring these same skills to our school committee so we can plan and prepare for the future of the Lynnfield Public Schools and all our children.
The world of education today is a complicated one and one that has changed seismically in the last five years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. What this new educational reality needs is leaders who can think creatively and “outside the box” and use a very COVID term “pivot.” Kim is such a person with professional and personal experience in utilizing facts, data, and conditions based on current circumstances (including budgetary restrictions) allowing her to craft data-driven solutions that might not always be obvious or apparent.
A School Committee member’s primary responsibility is to serve as a strong advocate for Lynnfield Public Schools, its students, its families, its educators, and staff. Kim will always put our children first because her values are consistent and uncompromising.
Kim Baker Donahue is what the Lynnfield Schools need now.
A vote for Kim is a vote for all schools and all students.
A vote for Kim is a vote for compassionate, uncompromising, and empathetic leadership.
A vote for Kim will steer our schools to the brighter future all of our students deserve.
Please join me in voting for Kim on April 8.
Phil McQueen
Lynnfield School Committee Member
