Dear Fellow Lynnfield Residents,
Over the past 6 weeks I have had the opportunity to speak with many friends, neighbors and other community members to discuss my campaign for School Committee. I also had the chance to tour all of the schools with the Superintendent and meet with each Principal and the Director of Special Services for the Lynnfield School District. I am passionate about the future of Lynnfield Public Schools, and I am excited for the opportunity to serve as a representative of this entire community. I am running for school committee because I believe new leadership will re-energize our district. The time has come to give voice to fresh ideas and new perspectives. I humbly request your support at the polls on Tuesday, April 10th.
I am a professional, business minded woman with an MBA who has a vested interest in the education of our children for the next 15 years. As a parent to a kindergartner and a preschooler and a participant in a diverse set of community activities, I will have insight into what is happening on a daily basis in our schools for years to come. I will work to ensure that our programs and services meet the needs of all students while being fiscally responsible and accountable to taxpayers.
What separates me from the other candidates is that I will bring a business degree, over twenty years of business experience and a unique skill set to the School Committee. I am an excellent negotiator and communicator, and have consistently demonstrated an authentic ability to establish rapport, build credibility, and cultivate lasting relationships. I thrive on challenges and I know how to get things done. My energy and sincere enthusiasm, along with my positive attitude and open mindedness for new ideas, have brought me much success in my career and in life. Frequently recognized as a leader, motivator, mentor and coach by my management team and peers, you can be confident that I will strive to meet the best interests of ALL students across our district.
I will not only listen to concerns from members of the community, but I will also work to be proactive before issues become real problems. I will hold our town leaders, including the Superintendent, accountable to the community by requesting appropriate and timely written responses to concerns raised by parents and members of the community. I am known for being persistent, and I will ensure promises to the community are kept by our elected officials.
I have reviewed the Superintendent’s Goals and District Strategy from 2018, and am ready to provide input to the 2019 Goals and District Strategy, ensuring they encompass all target areas of concern, including:
- A strategy to help the middle school improve its academic ranking.
- A comprehensive plan to review all academic programs ensuring we are creating the best available education for all Lynnfield students, including the evaluation of the special services budget and the identification of viable solutions to sustain the PREDs program.
- I will work closely with the Superintendent to support the continuous incorporation of social and emotional learning into the classroom and the integration of more physical activity across the district.
- Finally, I will be a strong voice for bringing parental concerns forward regarding the safety and security of our schools as well as what measures are being taken to combat bullying through education and prevention.
A critical issue that warrants our immediate attention is the imminent overcrowding in our schools over the next two to five years. As housing capacities increase in town, we can expect our student enrollment to increase. We need to do better forecasting and long term planning to accommodate for this population growth. The numbers show that the school budget has already substantially increased over the past several years, while the student population remained relatively stagnant. If we are already facing the problem of having to cut programs and support staff, what will be the impact on the school budget when our student enrollment suddenly increases beyond our current capacity?
The School Committee representative on the new space committee should ensure timely feedback to the rest of the School Committee, Superintendent, and the community at large. The School Committee can provide historical trends to the space committee representative and information about what has been done in the past or in other districts to most efficiently accommodate student placement needs. Another great source of data will come from the real estate market which will give insight into the increasing housing capacity in Lynnfield and how many additional children can be expected in each grade level over the next few years. According to census data there were about 150 more children under age five in 2016 than in 2014 which represents a 35% increase. At the same time, a sizable and growing percentage of our population is aging and potentially looking to downsize, which could bring in younger families. The space committee and School Committee should actively work together to seek possible solutions to address how these demographic trends will impact the town’s infrastructures in the coming years. [Source for Census Data: https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=CF]
Communication between the Superintendent, the School Committee and the community is another critical issue that can and should be improved immediately. In my personal experience attending School Committee meetings and in talking to other parents who have attended them over the years, the culture feels closed and fails to give community members, and even other members of the School Committee, adequate time to respond to proposals from the Superintendent and the Chairperson. I believe it is possible to encourage dialogue and feedback during these meetings while still complying with the required meeting format. Furthermore, improved communication at meetings would be beneficial to students, parents and the broader community.
One of the Superintendent’s goals is to increase communication with the parent community by seeking ways to improve public participation and engagement. I believe we can increase public participation and engagement, as well as transparency, by promoting two way communications and formalizing a process for addressing parents’ concerns. If elected, I will further support this goal by exploring different options to provide opportunities for parents to participate in meaningful dialogue with the Superintendent and School Committee members, either at PTO meetings or potentially through the scheduling of other small group forums. In the meantime, I will listen to parents and bring their concerns back to the School Committee. I am prepared to ask challenging questions at School Committee meetings, and deliver information back to families and taxpayers about decisions that are being made or considered.
Lynnfield’s school budget accounts for over half of town spending, and while spending has increased to bring in innovative programs, recently we have seen a slight dip in our rankings compared to similar towns around the state. The School Committee has the ability and the responsibility to ensure that taxpayer dollars are being spent wisely, and could work to better manage the budget to improve outcomes for all students. This again comes back to communication. Rather than having important discussions about school finances in a vacuum, the community should be involved and informed step by step.
My goal as a member of the School Committee will be to share your voice. A vote for me is a vote for better communication, transparency and collaboration between the Superintendent, School Committee and broader community. I am grateful for all of the support I have received and I look forward to the opportunity to help make Lynnfield Public Schools even stronger than they are today. To learn more about my candidacy and/or to reach out to me with questions, please visit my website at: www.electkimberleekossoverhansen.com.
Thank you for your vote on April 10th!
Sincerely,
Kimberlee Kossover Hansen
