School Committee endorses eighth-grade bike-rack petition for March town meeting

LINCOLN — November 7, 2013 — Lincoln School Committee endorses eighth-grade bike-rack warrant article and opens FY15 budget review. Four eighth-graders — Anna Schorb, Luke Belch, Zoe Belch and Jacob Strzok — presented survey data showing roughly one in 10 classmates bikes to school, citing theft-prone front-wheel racks at the train station and overflowing capacity at Brooks Circle; the committee voted unanimously to support their citizen petition for the March town meeting. Earlier, Lincoln School Principal Steve McKenna asked the committee to reconsider proposed policy GCBB language requiring the board to "set a maximum percentage increase" for principals, arguing it could collide with bargaining rights granted under the state education reform law. Administrators then rolled out a preliminary FY15 budget built on the Finance Committee's 2.5 percent Lincoln guideline and a Band 3 assumption at Hanscom that adds $478,901; the METCO grant is projected to drop $10,341 on lower enrollment.