Accountability posts

**Lexington School Committee — January 27, 2026: What the 5-0 Votes Don't Tell You**

Lexington's School Committee unanimously approved its $151.2 million FY2027 budget at Tuesday's meeting — but the vote totals obscure a meeting that was genuinely contentious. Here's what residents should know before the conversation moves on.

First, a significant disclosure that was not a formal agenda item: Superintendent Dr. Hackett stated that beyond the 14.5 FTE positions already being cut, the district may need to eliminate an additional 30 to 40 positions to achieve 'more responsible budgeting.' That's a potential total of more than 45 staff positions. The board received this information without any recorded public deliberation, disagreement, or follow-up questions. Residents had no advance notice this would be discussed.

During public comment, union representatives — including LEA President Robin Strzek — described Lexington educators who qualify for SNAP food assistance and colleagues living in their cars. Staff are also being physically injured by students whose behavioral needs aren't being met, with Strzek describing injuries serious enough to require surgery. She called the situation 'unsustainable' and demanded relief now, not in three to five years. The board voted unanimously to approve the budget. No board member publicly responded to the compensation or safety concerns — not to push back on them, not to acknowledge them, not to explain the board's position. Three of the six speakers on this cluster were met with silence.

A few other items worth tracking: The high school's German language program is being phased out in favor of American Sign Language. A community member asked for a public vote on the change; the board confirmed that curriculum decisions are administrative prerogatives and do not require one. A separate resident asked the board to change Zoom meeting settings to show participant counts, saying the current setup 'looks like you're trying to hide participation.' No board member responded or committed to reviewing it. And the district's special education review — prompted in part by audit findings that special ed staff spend just 12.5% of their time in direct student contact — is now entering a community engagement phase, with six input sessions planned through April. Families of outplaced students sought reassurance their children would not be abandoned through this process; the administration provided it, but formal recommendations are still months away.

Lexington markets itself on educational excellence. Residents deserve to know when that excellence is being built on a workforce under serious financial and physical strain — and when a board votes unanimously in the face of that without a word of public acknowledgment. https://meetingwatch.org/ma/lexington/school-committee/2026-01-27/ #MeetingWatch #LexingtonMA