The Lynnfield Teachers Association’s message was loud and clear as hundreds of members entered the Lynnfield Middle School’s auditorium, engulfed by thunderous applause by parents: “The town’s school district is in crisis, and they have no confidence in the current leadership to address it.”
Members of the LTA presented a resolution expressing their concerns and complaints with the leadership of Lynnfield Public Schools to the School Committee. According to the Massachusetts Teachers Association, the resolution was signed by more than 210 of the LTA’s 230 members.
LTA Vice President Nicole Hawes said that educators are struggling to support high-needs, special-education students and English language learners.
“Ask any educator, and we will tell you that student dysregulation is at an all-time high,” Hawes said. “The challenges are greater than ever, and yet it feels like the administration just wants to paper over the real issues.”
The resolution cited various issues that have resulted in what the union called “the lowest educator morale in living memory.”
The resolution outlines a series of grievances, attributing the decline in morale to a top-down management model, diminished autonomy for educators, reductions in staff resources, and shifts in school culture.
“When vital support staff, tutors, and secretaries have held their positions for years on end, and many of them then feel powerless because those same positions are either eliminated, or they quote-unquote resign, or they quote-unquote retire,” Lynnfield Middle School teacher William Bennett said. “All the while, at the same time, the central office is adding new positions with new titles, and some even have assistants. This will have an effect on the teachers’ morale.”
According to the LTA, more than 96% of its members do not feel supported by the central administration. The letter claims school administrators are cutting important staff positions while giving themselves pay raises.
In addition, the resolution states that educators have little say in staff meetings and curriculum changes. LTA members, especially paraprofessionals, feel they need more training and resources for students with special needs.
During the meeting last Tuesday evening, a paraprofessional from the high school said that paraprofessionals like her are more than just “support staff.” She said that the paraprofessionals have been burning themselves out unhealthily and that their work is not compensated aptly. She added that the morale among educators has been low and that it has been taking a mental and physical toll on them.
The LTA demanded the School Committee bring back cut staff, rehire paraprofessionals who left, address inflation with pay adjustments, and end “poverty wages” for paraprofessionals. The union wants more say in planning time, inclusion in decision-making committees, and better safety protocols for dealing with student behavior.
The LTA also demanded the district maintain current class sizes and stop using outside agencies for union work. In addition, it urged the town to join the Massachusetts Paid Family Medical Leave system for better family-care options.
At the beginning of the meeting, School Committee Chair Rich Sjoberg told the audience that the committee had “voted to initiate an investigation” through an independent party. The investigation will look into concerns that have been raised about the “operation of the school district.”
“I look down here, and I see a lot of very, very familiar faces, friends, educators who have taught my kids spent lots of time and extra time helping them,” Committee member Jamie Hayman said. “And it hurts me, and it hurts my heart to hear some of this. We need to work with the LTA. I think I heard a couple of people say this needs to be in a dialogue, and we need to work together, and I think there’s a lot of opportunity for us to do that.”
