By Matina Madrick
Hello, I’m Matina Madrick, the current chair of the Lincoln School Committee, and I’m excited to share that I am running for re-election.
Over the past two and a half years, I’ve had the privilege of serving on the School Committee. Early in my first year, my colleagues entrusted me with the role of chair. The work has been demanding and deeply rewarding, giving me a firsthand appreciation for the complexity of public education — balancing strong academics with fiscal responsibility, supporting our dedicated teachers and staff, and ensuring that every Lincoln student has access to high-quality learning opportunities.
I’ve also learned how critical it is to stay connected with the community. I regularly meet with parents, educators, and other residents to listen, answer questions, and understand the perspectives that should inform our decisions. Those conversations shape how I approach my work on the Committee.
I am proud of what we’ve accomplished together:
- Strengthening financial oversight and transparency by establishing a Finance Subcommittee, improving budget consistency, and closely tracking timelines.
- Maintaining educational quality while respecting taxpayer constraints—passing two level-service budgets within the town’s 2.5% guideline and supporting the administration through collective bargaining and the successful renewal of the Hanscom contract.
- Championing the selection and rollout of a new English Language Arts curriculum, which earned strong support from families and faculty and represents a long-term investment in teaching quality.
- Improving School Committee processes to make meetings and materials more accessible, reduce meeting length, and encourage clearer, more data-driven reporting.
As chair during a period of significant administrative transition, I’ve focused on maintaining continuity and building strong, respectful relationships across the district and town — helping ensure smooth planning and stable support for our schools.
If re-elected, my priorities include:
- Strengthening our shared campus vision. As the community center moves forward, we must collaborate to balance the needs of students, families, and the broader community.
- Right-sizing resources. As Lincoln’s demographics shift, we need to track enrollment trends carefully and adjust budgets responsibly while maintaining the high educational standards families expect.
- Consistently reporting on student achievement. We’ve made progress, and I plan to continue improving how we track student growth and clearly identify areas where additional support is needed.
- Making equity concrete. Lincoln values equity and inclusion, and the School Committee must translate those values into tangible decisions — from curriculum to resource allocation — so every student has the opportunity to succeed.
I’ll be hosting several meet-and-greets and would love to connect. Please feel free to reach out to me anytime at mmadrick@gmail.com. Thank you for your consideration. I would be honored to continue serving the Lincoln community. As a reminder, Election Day in Lincoln is March 30, 2026!
“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.
Leave a Reply