Lincoln students, and the community at large, continue to benefit from our high quality K-8 school system, thanks in large part to the substantial ongoing financial support provided through taxes and private gifts.

Improvements: During this past year, we have been able to implement some meaningful improvements to the program offerings while operating on a tight budget. This has been done while we maintained our commitment to the small class sizes valued by the community. The in-school music program has been expanded this year to include band and orchestra at two levels, with 91 students taking small group lessons and 41 students performing in these ensembles. Performing arts opportunities have increased with the staging of a highly successful fall dramatic production in addition to the annual spring musical production. Technology instruction capability has been augmented in our school and we have regained the services of a professional school librarian. Fees for our after-school athletics programs were reduced by approximately 1/2. We were also able to increase the financial resources allocated to the professional development of our teaching staff. Both professional development and curriculum development programs continue to gain momentum and make progress.

Curriculum and Professional Development: With funding from our regular budget, federal grants and grants awarded to our faculty by the Lincoln School Foundation, the school district has focused attention and resources on the revision of curriculum in the core academic areas. In particular curriculum coordination across grades and across the district has been increased, curriculum specialists have been enhancing the mathematics program, and approximately 20 summer projects were carried out to update learning expectations, assessments and units of study. We have also expanded professional development efforts, with higher participation by our faculty in external and in-district programs and the introduction of significant changes to our mentoring program for new faculty.

METCO: Last year’s annual report mentioned work that was in process regarding the METCO program. Last spring, the School Committee revisited its policy regarding this program, using the input it received from the METCO forums, discussion at School Committee meetings, the discussion and votes regarding the program at the last year’s Town Meeting, and finally the results of a non-binding referendum question on the last town election ballot. After carefully considering these sources of information, the Committee reaffirmed its commitment to the METCO program as an important element of the core educational program in our school, and decided to continue its support for the program at the current level of enrollment. The School Committee initiated and led a state-wide lobbying effort of School Committees and Superintendents which encouraged increased state funding for METCO. We were heartened by the fact that the METCO grant we received from the Commonwealth to partially offset the cost of this program was increased in the past year.

Facilities Assessment: At the request of the Capital Planning Committee, we began the task of preparing a long term capital spending plan for our facilities on Ballfield Road. A study was commissioned that evaluated the maintenance needs in our current buildings, which house the school programs and a wide range of community uses. The consultant’s report indicated a series of needs that come with a multi-million dollar estimated price tag. This reflects the fact that no significant on-going annual maintenance spending has occurred for these facilities since the completion of the renovations of the Smith and Brooks buildings in the mid 1990s, a decade ago. The School Committee is working to form a Facilities Committee to assess the maintenance report and look into a broader set of requirements, including needs of the evolving school program, future enrollment projections, and the community wants and needs regarding providing facilities for non-school programs on the campus. The support and involvement of other key boards, committees and citizens will be important to the success of the Facilities Committee, and we are collaborating with the Board of Selectmen, Finance Committee and Capital Planning Committee on this project.

Leadership: The leadership of the Lincoln School underwent changes in the past year. The Superintendent of Schools decided not to renew the contract of the incumbent principal. He explained to the community and the School Committee that this difficult decision was in the best interests of the school. The School Committee supported his decision. A search committee of parents, teachers and staff was assembled to assist in hiring a new principal. After two rounds of searches, the Superintendent determined that none of the available candidates met the district’s standards, and the school would be best served by implementing an interim leadership structure for the school. This led to the formation of a Leadership Team that is filling the building-based leadership role normally filled by a principal with assistants. Lincoln was fortunate enough to have on its staff teachers with the talents, administrative training, and willingness to fill the leadership roles. This winter, the Superintendent has conducted a process to solicit feedback that will assist him in making a decision about the leadership structure for the Lincoln School for next year.

Celebrations: At the end of the school year, we honored the graduates of the Lincoln School and the Hanscom Middle School. 88 young men and women graduated from the Lincoln School and 51 from the Hanscom Middle School. We wish them the best as they continue their studies. In addition, we bid farewell in June to a number of retiring faculty and staff members. At the Lincoln School: Pip Moss – Music, 34 years; Sue Ann Kearns – 1st grade, 28 years; Sue Ludden – Art, 20 years. At the Hanscom Primary School: Wendy Rudner – P.E., 33 years; Maggie Bodkin – Sped, 16 years; Karen Fumicello – Secretary, 11 years; and Tom McBreen – Custodian, 9 years. The length of service to our community, and the commitment to the children delivered by these individuals has been exceptional, and we extend our heartfelt thanks to them, with wishes for a healthy, happy, and fruitful next phase of their lives.

New Committee Members: At the Town Elections in March, 2004, three members were elected to the School Committee: Julie Dobrow, Sandy Hessler, and Dennis Picker. All three have taken 8 hours of training required of newly elected School Committee members, mandated by state law since 2003. This training has been valuable in helping them to face the challenging tasks of membership on the Committee.

School Committee Process and Outreach: The School Committee has focused attention on how it serves the community. Much has been accomplished in improving communications, access to information, and visibility of decison-making. We have utilized electronic and traditional means (web site, email lists, bulletin boards, coffees) to make information more easily and more broadly accessible. A hard working set of volunteers has helped enormously in these efforts. We are pleased that re-broadcasts of School Committee meetings commenced this fall on the community cable TV channel, enabling more people to follow our discussions and work. Additionally, we have put increased emphasis on the planning, accountability and visibility of School Committee work. This is evidenced by our adoption last June of goals for this school year for the Committee and for the District. Detailed plans that address the “what, when, who” associated with each goal have been prepared and reviewed in public sessions. Mid-year and end-year status and results reviews against these goals are conducted prior to setting next year’s goals. A long term agenda has been published, and is periodically updated, that gives visibility to all significant issues and decisions that will be considered at the various meetings during the year.

Challenges: In closing, we would like to draw your attention to two significant concerns. First is the fact that we face what appears to be a chronic and structural problem in the financing of our public school system. The budgeting process this year highlights the gap between the base revenue available to fund school operations and what is required to continue to provide the high quality educational program desired by the community. Annual increases in expenses we cannot control (such as state and federal mandated programs, contractual obligations and energy costs) outpace the increases available to us without Proposition 2 1/2 overrides. The specter of reduced state aid to our school system serves to increase this concern. Lincoln is not the only district facing this, and we see a long term crisis in the funding of public education.

Second, decisions about the future of Hanscom Air Force Base, along with the privatization of the base housing located in Lincoln that has occurred, have the potential for large impacts on our school system. We value the partnership we enjoy with the Department of Defense in operating the Hanscom schools. This arrangement allows us to enjoy economies of scale in the operation of our relatively small school district.

Despite the challenges we face, the School Committee remains committed to and optimistic about our school system. We feel that Lincoln has a strong school system served by talented and committed staff, and that students receive an education here that gives them an excellent launch into their future. We continue to work to improve the schools, and welcome your support and participation in this endeavor.