To the editor:
I am writing to alert our community to an important issue affecting our nearly 150 Lynnfield Girl Scouts and their families.
This fall, troop leaders were surprised to learn that Lynnfield Public Schools (LPS) has decided to charge scout troops $30 per child, annually, to hold troop meetings at our schools. For example, first-grade Girl Scout Daisy Troop 77647 has 21 members, so their troop would owe LPS $630 before their first meeting of the school year. In the past, Girl Scouts had always been permitted to meet in our schools free of charge.
LPS referred troop leaders to changes made to Policy KF. We were confused because this policy refers specifically to renting the school gyms, auditoriums, cafeterias, and libraries and we were not requesting to use those areas. LPS confirmed in writing that scout troops will be charged $30 per child to meet in available classroom spaces, after school hours, when school buildings are normally open for business, for one to two hours, once or twice a month, with no need for additional custodial services. LPS explained that Girl Scouts “will be treated like other youth groups, like youth volleyball or basketball”.
Is it fair for Girl Scouts to be included in the same category as youth sports when requesting to use school space? LPS facilities fees have been built into the fee structure for youth sports for years. Their $30 per student fees go into the fund designated for maintaining the ballfields and courts used by the youth leagues.
Lynnfield has always supported and valued the contributions Girl Scouts make to our community. Girl Scouts created “Stress Free Lynnfield” cabinets for LHS and LMS to help students alleviate stress and cope with anxiety in healthy ways at school. Girl Scouts educated our community on the importance of pollinators and distributed complimentary pollination garden starter kits with instructions for growing native plants that attract bees. Whether the Girl Scouts are leading the holiday sing-along at the Town Tree Lighting, planting trees with the Tree Committee, chalking positive messages on sidewalks to welcome students back to school, cleaning up the grounds of Huckleberry Hill School or the Beaver Dam Brook conservation area, helping decorate the Common for A Night of Hope, marching in the Memorial Day Parade, leading the Pledge of Allegiance at First Responders Day, or thanking our veterans at our Veterans Day Ceremony, no other youth group in Lynnfield is more consistently represented in number than the Girl Scouts. The Girl Scouts show up and represent the youth of Lynnfield in a positive way.
Centre Congregational Church, always a big supporter of Lynnfield scouts, has been working with us to accommodate our troop meetings (at no charge) and we are very grateful. Unfortunately, options other than meeting at school and immediately after school present access issues for many girls who don’t have transportation during the after-school hours. Not having the option to meet at school will be a barrier that prevents some girls from continuing their scouting experience.
The changes to Policy KF were approved by the School Committee in order to increase revenue for the school system. LPS’ focus should be on generating business from for-profit companies (for example: dance schools renting space for recitals) rather than placing financial burden on volunteer-led, nonprofit community groups, aiming to better our community by helping our youth thrive. Families of our Girl Scouts are already paying substantial taxes for our schools. Many are also paying hefty high-school and middle-school activity fees ($600 per student at LHS and $300 per student at LMS).
There are many towns that permit scout meetings at their schools free of charge, including Boxford, Burlington, Duxbury, Hull, Lexington, Lincoln, North Andover, Tewksbury, and Westford. Lynnfield should be one of those towns, even if it’s the only town. Our Lynnfield community as a whole values our efforts “to build girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place”.
At last week’s School Committee meeting, I requested that LPS waive facilities fees for scout troop meetings. I am hopeful that the School Committee and Superintendent Kristen Vogel recognize the many non-financial contributions that Girl Scouts make to our town and schools and decide in our favor.
Thank you to all who have reached out to voice your support for the Girl Scouts.
Sincerely,
Diane Courtney
Troop 82559 Troop Leader
Lynnfield
