Lincoln School Committee Approves $2,460 Grant, Weighs Special Education Reserve Fund

LINCOLN -- November 7, 2024, Lincoln School Committee advances literacy curriculum overhaul and weighs a new special education reserve fund. At the November 7 meeting, district administrator Karen and new curriculum specialist Dr. Shannon Saxon outlined an eight-month timeline to select a new K-8 literacy curriculum by May 2025 for implementation in September, an "accelerated and ambitious" schedule that normally takes two to three years. A 19-member review committee spanning both Lincoln and Hanscom campuses held its first meeting the prior week and will narrow to two or three pilot programs by January, with classroom pilots running February through March. The initial curriculum purchase is expected to run into six figures. The committee also unanimously accepted a $2,460 Lincoln School Foundation donation to send the district's new school psychologist and school adjustment counselor to the Learning and Brain Science of Emotion Conference in Boston. Separately, the superintendent introduced a proposal to establish a special education stabilization fund under MGL Chapter 40, Section 13E, capped at roughly $250,000 to $300,000, noting that variability in out-of-district tuition alone creates a $170,000 swing in the Lincoln budget depending on how conservatively planners budget for potential placements.