Interesting that this popped up in my memory from a year ago because the Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education just approved a settlement to forgive half of the city of Lynn's net school spending debt. The city of Lynn had a net school spending deficiency of about $17 million. This is $17 million that should have been spent on things like the following:
Student instructional services, materials and equipment
Student support services; including health services, food services and school security
Student activities; including athletics, performance groups and clubs
Operation and routine maintenance of school facilities and equipment
Extraordinary maintenance of school facilities
The Mayor and other city and school elected officials aggressively petitioned the state for over a year to have the $17 million debt forgiven. If these individuals took even a fraction of the time and energy they spent on evading their financial responsibilities on ensuring educational funds were properly handled and appropriated, this situation could have been avoided. Instead, the 16,000 plus students attending public school in Lynn are forced to bear the devastating consequences of losing $8 million in funding. Therefore, while the individuals sitting in offices on Bennett Street continue to receive exorbitant raises, the students and teachers are forced to attend school in old, crumbling buildings and overcrowded classrooms that lack basic educational necessities, and students are expected to learn and succeed in such poor learning environments.
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