Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School Committee meeting

The Lincoln-Sudbury Regional School Committee will convene a special meeting on Tuesday, December 14, 7.30pm in the LSRHS Auditorium to hear budget presentations from the faculty and staff.  The meeting is open to the public.

In a letter last week to parents and the wider communities of Lincoln and Sudbury, Superintendent/Principal Scott Carpenter wrote:   "In September, L-S participated in two fiscal workshops with Sudbury cost centers and the Sudbury Finance Committee.  Each cost center was asked to provide a financial picture of what the next three years of operations will look like assuming no overrides and level funding of state aid for schools.  Based on this projection, L-S will see a reduction of approximately 15 percent of staff and services over the next three years at a time when enrollment is anticipated to increase. This translates to a loss of teachers and counselors that will significantly change the educational program and experience of L-S students.  The assumption for state aid in September was optimistic given that current forecasts now indicate a likely reduction of up to 10 percent.

In anticipation of the FinCom's exercise and continued fiscal uncertainty, each department at the high school was asked to outline how the curriculum and services will change in light of the predicted budget reduction.  Each has developed a picture of the impact of a cumulative 15 percent loss over the next three years, with over half of this reduction predicted to happen next year.   At the Dec. 14 presentation to the School Committee, each academic department, Counseling, and Special Education will share how rigor and curricular breadth may be reduced, how class sizes may further increase, and how aspects of L-S that parents and students value may be further compromised or possibly lost.