The Lincoln Squirrel – News, features and photos from Lincoln, Mass.

schools

Town completes second round of bonding for school project

The town has sold bonds worth $8,489,000 in the second portion of borrowing to fund the school project. The sale generated a 2.6% interest rate with annual debt service at roughly $440,000, according to Lincoln Finance Director Colleen Wilkins.

Prior to the sale, the town’s AAA credit rating was affirmed by Standard & Poor, which helped keep interest rates low. “As part of their report, S&P cited strong credit rating factors for the town, including Lincoln’s very strong economy, very strong management with strong financial policies and practices, and the town’s thoughtful practice of building financial reserves,” Wilkins said.

The tax impact on the median tax bill is $215 and will be reflected in real estate tax bills issued in fall 2022.

In the first round of borrowing in early 2019, the town sold bonds worth $80 million at an interest rate of 3.379%. At that time, the Finance Committee was basing property tax impact estimates for the project on an expected interest rate of 4–5%, resulting an estimated tax hike of 18–20%, but officials revised that down to 14–16%.

The combined bond sales plus $4.4 million from the town’s debt stabilization fund and $1 million from free cash in 2019 are funding the $92.9 million project , which is scheduled for completion this summer.  For fiscal year 2023,  the Finance Committee projects in the Annual Town Meeting warrant that debt service for the school project will be $4.29 million, or 9.6% of the $44.52 million town budget.

My Turn: Carty is running for L-S School Committee

(Editor’s note: Carty is one of three Sudbury candidates vying for two seats on the the Lincoln-Sudbury School Committee.)

To the editor:

My name is Maura Carty and I am pleased to share that I am running for the Lincoln-Sudbury School Committee.

I have three children; my oldest is a graduate of L-S, my second is currently an L-S senior, and my youngest is an eighth-grader at Curtis heading to L-S next year. My family has lived in Sudbury for over 20 years. During those years, I have been deeply involved in the community by serving as a board member on many nonprofit organizations. I presently serve on many community boards in leadership positions, including Lincoln-Sudbury Parent Organization and L-S’s Senior Safe Night (formerly known as Jamaica Jammin’). This has afforded me the opportunity to cultivate deep connections with many community members and to gain an understanding of what is important to them. 

So why am I running? Lincoln-Sudbury is an incredible school, and I believe together we can elevate it. I am running to bring a current perspective to the Committee. I am plugged into the community and feel I can make an impact on the lives of students and their families by concentrating efforts on student mental health and academic growth. I look to leverage what I have learned and decisions I have made in my many years of public service to benefit the L-S community and all of its students.

Students have been overwhelmed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Their academic experience and mental health has been impacted. Collaboration to find safe, appropriate solutions to the complicated issues that arose during the pandemic and are certain to continue as we transition to the next phase of this evolving virus will be key. Our decisions must be made based on science with the needs of students at the forefront. I believe it is the role of the School Committee to ensure both happen.    

I am a dedicated and passionate individual and proud member of the L-S community. I build relationships by listening, asking questions, and embracing different viewpoints to accomplish the best outcomes. I look forward to advocating for all students and helping them advance to their full potential. Together we can make a great place better, and I ask for your support on Monday, March 28th.

Sincerely,

Maura Carty
15 Stonebrook Rd., Sudbury, MA

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to  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.

My Turn: Kevin Matthews seeks reelection to L-S School Committee

(Editor’s note: Matthews is one of three Sudbury candidates vying for two seats on the the Lincoln-Sudbury School Committee.)

To the editor:

I am excited to be running for re-election for L-S School Committee. It has been an honor and a privilege to have served the communities of Lincoln and Sudbury for the last 12 years. I believe, in that time, I have been able to make a difference. I hope you consider voting for me for the L-S School Committee on Monday, March 28.

As in 2010 when I was first elected, we are again facing uncertain times; this time we are entering a post-pandemic era, with a growing war in Europe and with the economic threat of rising inflation. As before, I promise to provide steady, bold, and reasoned leadership.

As a community of teaching and learning, we must prioritize our mission: the development and education of our communities’ students. It is our public charge to provide the best possible education for all of the students who enter our doors. There is perhaps no mission more important.

We must provide a safe, supportive, and sustainable environment for this period of developmental growth for our students. In order to do so, we need the appropriate resources and responsible financial management, and a faculty and administration who bring educational and administrative excellence. We as a high school and a community need to work together to provide a safe environment and to inspire our children with a sense of grit and optimism toward learning here and in their lives beyond these walls.

We as a school need to remember we serve the community in this role. And in service, we work together with the community, the families of our students, and the taxpayers and always remain sensitive to the needs of the community.

While we have the tools to guide and develop our students, our families depend upon us to heed their concerns and the taxpayers require us to manage their resources responsibly and efficiently.

I promise to serve the community openly, honestly, and always with a sense of urgency. You have entrusted this committee with tremendous responsibility. I hope to earn your trust once again. I ask for your vote on March 28. 

Sincerely,

Kevin Matthews
137 Haynes Rd., Sudbury MA

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to  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.

L-S team advances in High School Quiz Show

Students from L-S compete from home in High School Quiz Show.

A four-member team from Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School overtook their competition in the last round of High School Quiz Show’s wild-card event on February 5 and will face Andover High School on February 19.

High School Quiz Show on WGBH is a Jeopardy-like competition for Massachusetts high school student teams. Seventeen teams made the initial cut from 72 that competed in Super Sunday, a 50-question quiz in November. Two teams (L-S and Buckingham Brown & Nichols) with the next-highest scores that hadn’t been previously featured on the show or hadn’t competed in five or more years faced off in the preliminary wild-card contest.

L-S first competed about 10 years ago, and in the show’s 12 previous seasons, more than 700 students from over 70 schools across the Commonwealth have participated.

The L-S team (Jack Grosberg, Henry Hurtt-Rensko, and Spencer Reith of Sudbury and Gray Birchby of Lincoln) trailed for the first three rounds. They entered the final “lightning round” down by a score of 615-575 but overtook BB&N to win 875–775. The victory advances them into the group of 16 vying for a chance to play in the 2022 state championship on May 21.

Click here to watch the video of the February 5 contest.

My Turn: Joseph Dwyer running for School Committee

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” — Nelson Mandela

Dear fellow citizens of Lincoln:

Today I write to announce my candidacy for the open seat on the Lincoln School Committee. In a time when our world is changing at an unprecedented rate, providing our children the skills to navigate their way through is more critical than ever. With technology continuing at its ever-increasing pace, the priority of teaching needs to shift from what our kids  learn to how to learn. I argue that focusing on the process of learning and education better equips our youth with the tools they need to succeed in the long term, far outlasting the temporary satisfaction of acing weekly tests.

I have had the good fortune to be a resident of Lincoln past 13 years. At this stage in my life, I have greater bandwidth and a genuine drive to work on behalf of our community. I respectfully ask for your support. I welcome the opportunity to speak further about my vision for Lincoln’s schools and can be contacted directly at jaysp51d@gmail.com or 603-560-1787. Please do not hesitate to reach out.

Special thanks to all the hardy Lincolnites who took the time to sign my nomination papers in this frigid weather. I got many more than needed!

Sincerely,

Joseph Dwyer
6 Emerson Rd
Lincoln, Ma 01773

“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.

My Turn: Rajdev declares candidacy for School Committee

Dear neighbors,

I am writing to announce my candidacy for the open position on the Lincoln School Committee, and ask for your support.

My family moved to Lincoln five years ago, and our two young girls (entering third grade and kindergarten) are blossoming in the Lincoln schools. I’ve taken an active role in supporting the schools from the onset, volunteering as a room parent and acting as legal advisor to Lincoln Nursery School as part of the parent co-operative. Through that role I gained experience working through many administrative policies of the school, including Covid-19 policies. The experience of working closely with parents, administrators, and specialists to find the best solutions to keep our children healthy, active, and engaged has been challenging, and I’m excited for the opportunity to serve the community and schools in a more robust way on the Lincoln School Committee.

In addition to school volunteering, I’ve enjoyed getting to know so many talented and committed Lincolnites through my involvement on the boards of Friends of Modern Architecture (FoMA) and Valley Pond. With my professional background as an engineer and attorney, I have had many opportunities to analyze challenging issues, reach consensus across a broad group of interests, and communicate the outcome.

If elected, I will use independent critical judgment to help carry forward the strategic priorities of the schools, and ensure that the policies, procedures, and budget support these objectives. I believe now more than ever, we need to work to overcome the deep divisions that are being exacerbated by social media and allow kindness and understanding help us reach decisions that will benefit all of the children our schools serve. These issues are top of mind for me as I watch my young girls grow up in the community, and I can think of no better use of my time to support our school system in any way I can.

Lastly, I would like to thank the current School Committee for all their efforts in making the Lincoln schools the wonderful places they are, and for the extraordinary efforts to steer us through the pandemic the past two years.

Thank you for this opportunity to introduce myself, and I hope that you will support me in the town election on March 28th.

Sincerely,

Kimberly Rajdev
18 Moccasin Hill Rd.

“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.

Covid surge leads to temporary closures in Lincoln

(Editor’s note: this article was updated on January 9 to include school data from January 6).

Covid-19 continues to surge everywhere, resulting in a two-week suspension of in-person nonessential Lincoln programs and services as of Monday, Jan. 10, though schools are still in person as of January 6.

There were 49 new cases of positive Covid-19 results for Lincoln residents for the week ending January 6, compared to 29 the previous week and 15 the week before that. Prior to this surge, the town never recorded more than nine cases a week except for two weeks last January and one week in August.

Bemis Hall, Town Hall, the Lincoln Public Library, and the Parks & Recreation Department will be closed to the public for the next two weeks. However, staff will remain available via e-mail and phone to respond to requests for services and support.

The library will be resuming its curbside pickup program for requested materials. Details regarding picking up library materials will be sent in a separate email. Reference staff will be on hand to answer any questions via email or by phone at 781-259-8465. All programs will be moved to Zoom.

Library staff will be working in the building and can be reached during the following hours:

  • Monday 1–7:30 p.m.
  • Tuesday 9 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
  • Wednesday 9 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.
  • Thursday 9 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.
  • Friday 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
  • Saturday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
  • Sunday 1–5 p.m.

Essential town departments and services will remain open to the public. If in-person support and transactions are required from closed areas, please contact the relevant office to schedule an appointment using the town directory, where you can find links to office web pages and phone numbers as well as contact information for individual employees.

Schools

The Lincoln Public Schools received reports of 43 cases on January 3, 4, and 5, with 52 positive cases (18 employees and 34 students) over the December recess, according to a January 5 letter to the community posted on LincolnTalk by Superintendent of Schools Becky McFall. Another 25 new positive cases (19 of them in Lincoln School K-8 students) were reported on January 6, she said in another letter posted that day. The school system dashboard (last updated on the evening of January 6) notes that there have been 82 cases in January alone.

Even before the December recess, after-school activities were canceled for this week, and teachers and all other employees were told to wear state-issued KN95 masks at all times indoors.

“The last couple of weeks have been a bit of a rollercoaster ride,” McFall said in her January 5 letter, noting that there has been “changing guidance” from the CDC as well as state school and health offices.

Some Massachusetts schools reopened a day or two late this week because of the Covid-19 surge. On December 31, the Massachusetts teachers’ union called on Gov. Baker to allow a return to remote learning. However, Baker reiterated on January 3 that remote learning was not an option and schools would have to deliver the usual 180 days of in-person instruction, though they were free to use snow days as they saw fit.

Like many school districts in eastern Massachusetts, Lincoln announced that there would be no school on January 7 due to the forecast of snow.

Here is a summary of school cases from December 24 – January 5 provided by McFall: 

StudentsStaff
Lincoln K-4246
Lincoln 5-8186
Lincoln PreK21
Hanscom PreK11
Hanscom Primary911
Hanscom Middle133
TOTALS6728

Lincoln mirrors national surge in Covid-19 cases

After months of single-digit weekly Covid-19 case numbers, Lincoln’s caseload shot up in the last two weeks of 2021, with 15 cases for the week ending December 23 and another 29 cases in the following week. This is the biggest two-week total since the beginning of the pandemic, surpassing the 27 cases seen in the last two weeks of 2020.

The spike mirrors that of neighboring towns as well as the rest of Massachusetts and the U.S. Over the same time period, Carlisle has recorded 73 positive cases, and there have been 190 in Concord, according to Public Health Nurse Tricia McGean. Local public health officials are responsible for tracking and contact tracing Covid-19 cases, but the state Department of Public Health recognizes that local boards of health don’t have the capacity to follow this surge “and suggests we try to focus on priority groups such as K-12, congregate living situations, daycares, and the like,” she said on December 31.

Massachusetts DPH figures show the distribution of Covid-19 cases in Massachusetts by age for the week ending on December 31.

“That being said, the ones that I do contact generally have mild to moderate symptoms,” McGean continued. “Transmission often happens when groups gather, so I expect more and more cases each day after this holiday week.”

The omicron variant spreads three times as fast as previous variants, so once one family member tests positive, the virus often jumps quickly from one person to another, and “this is where I’m seeing most of the transmission in the cases I interview. One household case turns to two turns to three all in a matter of days,” she said.

McGean could not immediately provide data on the ages of those who have tested positive in Lincoln, but statewide, 40% of cases in the last two weeks of the year were in adults age 20-39, according to DPH figures.

Lincoln schools are reopening on January 3 after the holiday break with “heightened attention to known, effective precautions,” Superintendent of Schools Becky McFall said in a letter posted to LincolnTalk on December 30 by School Committee member Susan Taylor.

All student after-school activities are cancelled for the week, and families are asked to reinforce symptom checking and mask wearing. Teachers and all school employees were instructed to self-test before arriving to work Monday and will wear state-issued KN95 masks at all times indoors. School and health officials will reassess following the results of weekly pool testing, McFall said.

“I recognize that it is concerning that we are returning to school under conditions of increasing numbers of Covid-19 cases. This is not surprising, and while the numbers are higher, we are following a trend similar to last year at this time with a spike in cases following the holidays. If the pattern holds, we can hope to see a large decrease in cases at the end of January,” McFall added.

Since the start of the school year, the Lincoln Public Schools have recorded 82 cases of Covid-19 (68 students and 14 staff), according to the LPS Covid-19 dashboard. That includes nine cases each in September and October, 29 cases in November, and 35 in December. Sixty-one cases were on the Hanscom campus and 21 on the Lincoln School campus.

Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School’s Covid-19 dashboard says there have been almost 60 cases of Covid-19 among faculty and staff as of January 3, up sharply from 17 during the week ending December 29. 

Federal and state health officials have issued new isolation and quarantine guidelines for those who test positive or are exposed to someone with Covid-19. Regardless of vaccination status, anyone who tests positive is required to stay home for five days. If they have no symptoms or the symptoms are resolving after that time, they can leave the house but must wear a mask when around other people for another five days.

McGean said there is no concrete threshold for closing the schools and moving to remote learning in the event that cases in town continue to rise sharply in coming weeks. Any such decision will be made after discussion among McGean, Superintendent of Schools Becky McFall, the Lincoln Board of Health, the state epidemiologist, and the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

News acorns

Barn Buddies on Wednesday for kids age 5-7

There are still a few spots available for Codman Community Farms’ Barn Buddies Holiday Special on Wednesday, Dec. 15 from 2:30–4 p.m. in the farm greenhouse. Kids age 5–7 can meet some familiar farm friends, make some festive decorations, and enjoy a seasonal farm snack as they spend an afternoon with our experienced older farm buddies. Participants should wear warm clothes and closed-toe shoes. Click here to sign up.

More Boy Scout Christmas trees available

The Lincoln Boy Scouts Troop 127 were able to obtain an additional shipment of fresh-cut trees. The tree lot at the corner of Lincoln and Codman Roads will be open on Wednesday, Dec. 15 from 6:30–8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 18-19 from 9 a.m.–5:30 p.m., or until sold out.

Watch talk by National Book Award winner

The Lincoln Public Library will host a Zoom screening of the talk given at the Concord Museum in June by Harvard Professor Tiya Miles on her book, All She Carried: The Journey of Ashley’s Sack, a Black Family Keepsake, on Thursday, Dec. 16 at 7 p.m. Lincoln author Ray Shepard will introduce the talk. All That She Carried is a National Book Award winner for 2021 and has been selected as one of the best books of 2021 by Time, Washington Post and New York Times. The sack — created by an enslaved woman named Rose for her daughter, who at age nine was sold by their owner — was inherited by her great-granddaughter Ruth, who embroidered the story into the sack. Click here to join the Zoom meeting (passcode: 125443).

Holiday drive for SVdP food pantry

The Lincoln Family Association and a Lincoln high school student are collecting donations for the Lincoln food pantry run by the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Lincoln and Weston. Residents can drop off nonperishable food items from this wish list at the following times and locations:

Friday, Dec. 17

    • 9:30–1 a.m. at the Lincoln School blue playground
    • 3–4:30 p.m. behind St. Joseph’s Church (142 Lincoln Rd.)

Saturday, Dec. 18

    • 10:30-11:30 a.m. at the Lincoln School blue playground

Through Sunday, Dec. 19

    • The bin at Lincoln Middle School (items are being collected at this location for the second year in a row by tenth-grader Devon Das).

The SVdP food pantry has been dealing with sharp increases in need for assistance in recent years, as seen in their 2019-20 fiscal year summary. Total expenses and the amount of emergency assistance funds disbursed all went up by at least 30% over the preceding year, while the number of clients served has more than quadrupled since 2016. Click here if you or someone you know needs food or emergency financial assistance.

L-S teachers, School Committee agree on three-year deal

The Lincoln-Sudbury Regional School Committee announced that it has reached an agreement in principle on a new three-year contract with the Lincoln-Sudbury Teachers’ Association. The memorandum of understanding (MOU) provides for annual sequential cost-of-living (COLA) increases of 3%, 2%, and 2%, representing an aggregate COLA increase over three years totaling 7%. This agreement follows a 0% COLA for 2021-22 and agreement to transition to a single healthcare provider, which resulted in significant savings for the school district. There was an aggregate increase of 6.5% over the 2018-2021 period. The MOU will be incorporated into a collective bargaining agreement for the 2022-2025 academic years that is expected to be finalized in the coming weeks.

The terms reflect the aligned objectives of the School Committee and the Teachers’ Association to strengthen the educational and extracurricular program for students, provide opportunities for innovation in teaching, and manage compensation growth in a responsible manner, according to the committee’s statement.

“We are pleased to have achieved the key goals established by the School Committee at the outset of negotiations, and that we reached resolution on terms quickly and collaboratively,” said Cara Endyke-Doran, chair of the Lincoln-Sudbury School Committee. “The shared priorities of the School Committee and Teachers’ Association – providing a rigorous and purposeful education to all students – were evident throughout our negotiations.” The School Committee further appreciates and extends its sincerest gratitude for the dedication of the faculty to the best interest of the students of the district, especially during these challenging times caused by the ongoing pandemic’s impact on our community’s collective social and financial well-being.

Once the definitive agreement is finalized, a copy of it may be found on this L-S School Committee web page. For more information, contact committee chair Cara Endyke-Doran at Cara_endykedoran@lsrhs.net.

Thank teachers through HATS program

The Lincoln School Foundation’s Honor A Teacher & Staff (HATS) program gives you an opportunity to recognize specific Lincoln Public Schools teachers and other staff members while supporting the LSF. For a small donation, the LSF will prepare a certificate of appreciation with your personalized message to be delivered to the recipient. In addition to your child’s learning coach/teacher, consider celebrating the hard work of teaching assistants, specialists (art, music, drama, science, wellness), support specialists, office staff, nurses, custodians, METCO staff — anyone who works in Lincoln schools. Visit the HATS web page to participate, and click here to see grants that the LSF has made to teachers using donations.