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Class Sizes, Overrides, and the bigger issues facing our town (with Sources)

  • Mar 26
  • 4 min read

NOTE: Please click any of the links within the content below to see the sources and more detailed information for the text. Also feel free to email joeforlynnfield@gmail.com with any questions!


At the last digital agency that I worked at, we had a saying: “Bad news should travel faster than good.” This meant that if any team member saw a problem with a project (cost overruns, unhappy clients, missed deadlines, etc) they could openly raise the issue so the team could face the challenge head on. This saying has always stuck with me - I believe it’s important to have open and honest discussions about anticipated challenges, and to proactively communicate with stakeholders to avoid unpleasant surprises. As a Lynnfield taxpayer, I often find that things do feel like a surprise, and that residents may not be fully prepared for some of the larger challenges facing our town in the future.


To take a recent example - many current SSS Kindergarten parents have concerns that next year, the four Kindergarten classes will be funnelled into three first grade classrooms (1), resulting in an increase of roughly 5 to 6 students per classroom. As a parent of one of the current Kindergarten students, I naturally have personal thoughts about any issues that could affect my daughter’s educational experience. As a candidate for Select Board, I believe the bigger issue is a lack of understanding of what is required to keep our schools operating at the level that we all believe our kids and teachers deserve.


When we voted for the override in 2025, we were told it was going to “save our schools” (2). It was less clear that the override was only a two year solution (even with budget cuts to the Library and Senior Center) - even though the override passed overwhelmingly last year, the town will almost certainly require another override next year. It’s unfortunate that the town's "Three-year Budget Projection” (3) was removed from the agenda for last Monday’s Select Board meeting (4), since a budget projection could greatly help build awareness of future revenue needs, including the timing and amount of the next override. As a member of the Select Board, I would seek to understand the town’s financial forecast for the next 5 years, and to create a budget process that every resident has the opportunity to contribute to and influence at the appropriate decision points.


It’s unclear when the Town is planning to openly discuss the next override, or many of the other challenging decisions in the years ahead. For example - what revenue is needed to cover the full-time firefighters funded by the SAFER grant (5), when the grant expires in 2027? What funding will be used to make necessary repairs to the High School in the next 5-10 years? How does the Town plan to fully fund enough teachers to keep class sizes to a manageable level, given the salary increases and rising insurance costs that have already been identified? As a taxpayer I often think about these issues, and as a Select Board member I’d try to foster open, proactive communication about these issues so that residents could help develop and influence the solutions.


Leadership is not about having enough power and influence to decide what the rules are - leadership is making an informed decision that is in the best interest of the town. That doesn’t mean that every decision is going to be popular - but it does mean that residents have a chance for their voice to be heard at appropriate points in the process, and that residents have the appropriate information to guide their decisions and votes. I believe that the future of our town will depend on Town leadership being able to create a culture where future challenges are discussed openly and proactively, so that all residents, volunteers, and town staff are able to anticipate and help resolve challenges facing our Town.


Thank you for reading - and if you share a desire for improved transparency and communication, I urge you to vote Joe Gallagher for Select Board at the Lynnfield Town Election (6) on Tuesday, April 14.


Sources


(1) the four Kindergarten classes will be funnelled into three first grade classrooms


This issue was discussed in the December 2025 issue of the Lynnfield Villager:


“Elementary school class size increase concerns aired” - Lynnfield Villager, December 17, 2025 - https://localheadlinenews.com/lynnfield-elementary-school-class-size-increase-concerns-aired/


The LPS class sizes were updated in July 2024:


“Revised class size policy OK’d” - Lynnfield Villager, July 17, 2024 -  https://localheadlinenews.com/lynnfield-school-committee-meeting-revised-class-size-policy-okd/


You can also see also the current LPS Class Size recommendations at: 


(2) we were told it was going to “save our schools”


The messaging related to the recent Lynnfield Override can be seen at the "Lynnfield Forward" page on Facebook:


If interested, you can see the Statement of Organization creating the "Lynnfield Forward" ballot committee on the town web site:


(3) the town's "Three-year Budget Projection”


This budget projection would be an updated version of the one the town of Lynnfield produced last year, which can be seen here: https://www.lynnfieldma.gov/682/Budget-and-Town-Meeting-Documents (click "Three-Year Budget Projection (PDF)" in the list of links).


The direct link to last year's budget projection is here:


(4) removed from the agenda for last Monday’s Select Board meeting


The Select Board agenda was modified before last Monday's Select Board meeting. Since all agendas are public documents, you can see the modified versions here:


Original agenda:


Amended agenda:


Links to all modifications to this agenda can be seen at:


(5) SAFER grant



(6) Lynnfield Town Election


This year, the annual Lynnfield Town Election will be held on Tuesday, April 14 at Lynnfield High School. Polls are open 7am to 8pm.


More detailed information on the town election can be found at the Lynnfield Town Clerk's "Election and Voting info" page at: https://www.lynnfieldma.gov/271/Election-Voting-Info


You can also visit the Voting page on this web site to explore options for vote by mail, absentee ballots, and early voting.



Thanks for reading - and please vote Joe Gallagher for Select Board at the Lynnfield Town Election on Tuesday, April 14!

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