Lincoln School Committee approves $12.3 million FY22 budget within FinCom guidance

LINCOLN -- April 1, 2021, Lincoln approves $12.3M school budget, banks COVID risk in town reserve fund. The School Committee unanimously approved a $12,347,239 FY22 Lincoln base budget within the Finance Committee's 2.5 percent guidance, with FinCom separately recommending a $263,281 increase to the town reserve fund to backstop pandemic-related overruns. Administrator for Business and Finance Buck Creel called it "a really good solution" that avoids embedding uncertain COVID costs in the base. Superintendent Becky McFall reported that 40 of 184 remote students, 17 on Hanscom and 23 on Lincoln, including 11 Boston METCO students, will return to in-person classes, with a 100 percent survey response rate. Chair Tara Mitchell was re-elected and appointed member Trinji Nazo as vice chair, succeeding the departed Peter Borden. The committee also set eighth-grade graduations for June 16 (Hanscom) and June 17 (Lincoln) and welcomed newly elected member John McLaughlin.