Lincoln School Committee receives equity audit, adds fourth kindergarten section

LINCOLN — May 20, 2021 — Lincoln School Committee receives sweeping equity audit and adds a fourth kindergarten section. The 24-member LAG advisory group, co-led by Assistant Superintendent Jess Rose and METCO Director Marika Hamilton, rated nine of 19 anti-racism categories "not yet started" and none above "launched a little," with Black and Latinx students reporting belonging scores 15 and 16 points below district averages on some middle-school subgroups. Teacher Catherine Martis called the findings "devastating"; member Kim Mack said any reader without "urgency" after the report has "something wrong" with them. Separately, Superintendent Becky McFall said 63 confirmed kindergartners — 55 Lincoln, six Boston METCO, two employee children — exceeded three-section budget capacity; the committee voted 7-0 to authorize a fourth section, with costs to be absorbed through COVID grants. The committee also approved four policy revisions, eliminated a vendor-relations policy, and approved roughly $5.5 million in warrants.