Lincoln School Committee defers fifth-grade class size decision to June

LINCOLN -- May 8, 2014, Lincoln defers fifth-grade class-size decision as parents petition for a fourth section. A group of incoming fifth-grade parents read a letter at Thursday's School Committee meeting asking the board to reverse a plan to collapse four current fourth-grade classes into three larger fifth-grade sections projected to average 22.67 students. "Shouldn't we strive for recommended rather than settling for the maximum?" the letter asked. Assistant Superintendent Mary Sterling said enrollment remains in flux and member Tim Christenfeldt put the cost of an added section at roughly $100,000. The committee will revisit at its June 12 meeting. Members also heard that Hanscom Primary cut discipline slips by half under a new BEST team, approved $863,187.51 in warrants, and learned the state found Lincoln only partially implementing one of 18 ESL program elements, requiring a corrective action plan.