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.