Accountability posts

📋 LEXINGTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE — MEETING RECAP & ACCOUNTABILITY NOTES (February 10, 2026)

The School Committee approved a $151,729,248 FY2027 budget at Tuesday's meeting — a 3.9% increase over the current year. That number sounds straightforward. What happened around it is more complicated, and Lexington residents heading into Town Meeting season should know the full picture.

**Six agenda items disappeared without explanation.** The Superintendent's Report listed seven specific items, including a High School Building Project update and Kindergarten Registration information. Only one — the K-5 literacy curriculum recommendation — was ever presented. No board member acknowledged the omissions. No rescheduling was announced. Residents who attended specifically for the building project update, which is one of the most significant financial commitments in Lexington's history, received nothing and no explanation.

**The LEA described a present-day crisis — and the board passed the budget 5-0 in silence.** The union representative opened the meeting warning that 2.5% cost-of-living placeholders in the budget are below what neighboring districts are settling, and that one educator is reportedly living in a car. The LEA president closed the meeting saying schools are 'in crisis now' and that teachers are 'making themselves sick to maintain the optics of the status quo.' The board offered no direct response. Dr. Hackett noted on the record that any contract settlement above 2.5% will trigger additional cuts beyond those already planned — a serious constraint with no stated path forward. If you care about educator retention and student support levels, this deserves your attention at Town Meeting.

**Two other items worth watching:** First, a community member — not the administration — identified that the FY2027 budget document heading to Town Meeting is labeled a 'level service budget' despite containing real staffing and program reductions. The superintendent acknowledged the error and committed to correcting it, but the fact that a resident caught it first is notable. Second, the board approved increased transportation fees ($450 flat, eliminating the two-tier system) and athletic fees ($450/sport, $900 annual family cap) on a 4-0-1 vote — with one member abstaining — before the financial assistance framework for families who can't afford the new fees was finalized. The board committed to ongoing work on that process, but the fees take effect now.

The K-5 literacy curriculum adoption (Arts and Letters, up to $950K one-time cost) was backed by a thorough three-year process and 74% staff preference — that decision appears well-grounded. But the overall picture from Tuesday is a board that is largely unified on paper while real tensions about educator compensation, budget accuracy, and equity of access remain unresolved heading into Town Meeting. Stay informed and show up. https://meetingwatch.org/ma/lexington/school-committee/2026-02-10/ #MeetingWatch #LexingtonMA