Letter to the editor: many Minuteman issues to mull

(Editor’s note: the most recent Lincoln Squirrel article about Minuteman can be found here.)

To the editor:

Minuteman High School has become an important topic of discussion here in Lincoln. On Tuesday, Feb. 23, we will have a Special Town Meeting at which we will be asked to decide if we want to remain in the Minuteman School District. There are many incredibly complex issues to be examined and an informed decision will require much thought, consideration, and understanding from all of us.

I will summarize some of the issues here and over the next few weeks will attempt to provide more detailed information on each of them. My hope is the people of Lincoln will do their best to be educated on all of these topics and make a decision that best meets our town’s needs. A Special Town Meeting in February may not be on the top of everyone’s “to do” list, but for the sake of the education of our children, I hope you consider attending.

The high school is showing its age and a new school building has been proposed. The present school is located in Lexington but the proposed building will be built on adjacent land that Minuteman owns in Lincoln (this is land that is currently used for athletic fields).

By their very nature, vocational technical high schools are more costly than typical high schools; in addition to a full array of academic courses, they bear the expense of housing the various shops such as automotive, welding, electrical, etc. Added to the already high tuition, the cost of building a new school in Lincoln and tuition at the new high school will be quite expensive. The school is being designed to incorporate a multimedia theater program. The theater has been designed to include a “fly loft” that will exceed Lincoln’s zoning regulations by a considerable amount.

We will also be asked to vote on an amended regional agreement. Some of the key points from this agreement are

• Changes to the governance structure of the school committee such that the votes will be weighted based on the number of students from each town.
• Changes to the funding formula that will increase the amount of money some towns have to pay and lower the costs for other towns (Lincoln being among those expecting an increase).
• A provision for any town that has so requested to withdraw from the district if voted by their town by March 1. Seven towns have put their names on this list: Weston, Dover, Carlisle, Wayland, Sudbury, Boxborough, and Lincoln. Many of these towns, Lincoln included, were clear they are not indicating they want to withdraw, but rather want to keep the option open.
• A tuition change whereby out-of-district students will now be charged tuition equal to the average in-district student cost.

If Lincoln votes to leave the district and the new school is approved:

• We will host the largest building in our town with little to no say over its governance.
• We will only have the possibility rather than the guarantee of sending our students to Minuteman. In-district students will have first priority for attending as well as first choice of programs. Some of our students may have to travel to other towns for their vocational/technical education.
• The costs per student, however, will in all likelihood decrease.

We in Lincoln will be well served to consider Minuteman High School in terms of our entire educational system which includes Lincoln Publics’ elementary and middle schools, Hanscom’s elementary and middle schools, and Lincoln-Sudbury High School. Do we as a town want to continue to have a vocational/technical school as part of our educational repertoire?  Does vocational/technical education fit with our values, or do we no longer feel the need to support this education locally?  The law requires us to provide vocational/technical education to students who so chose. The question is, do we want to support that education here in Lincoln? That is what we need to decide.

Sincerely,

Sharon Antia
Minuteman School Committee member
165 South Great Rd.

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters must be about a Lincoln-specific topic, will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.