Share This Article
In your opinion, what are two top strengths of the district and two top opportunities for improvement?
The short answer with respect to the two top strengths of the district is academic excellence and respect for others. This is reflected in the L-S mission: fostering caring and cooperative relationships, respecting human differences, pursuing academic excellence, and cultivating community. Lincoln-Sudbury is a special kind of place. It strives for and it should strive for academic excellence and success for all of its students. But that is not enough. L-S students strive and should strive to respect, relate to, and cultivate community with other students and the world at large. The two opportunities for improvement are directly related to the two strengths. To the extent L-S is not addressing the academic needs of each and every student, it must strive to do a better job of that. To the extent that L-S students are not striving to respect, relate to, and cultivate community with other students and the world at large, L-S must work harder to improve that. In short, the opportunities lie in improving what are already our strengths.
What unique perspective would you bring to the L-S school committee?
The unique perspective I would bring to the L-S school committee is long-term experience and long-term institutional knowledge of Lincoln-Sudbury and the towns of Sudbury and Lincoln. I have been working for and with the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional School District since the mid-1980s, when I served as a member of the committee which drafted the 1988 amendments to the L-S agreement. Subsequent to that I served for seven years on the Sudbury Finance Committee, where for some period of time I was liaison to L-S. I previously served for 12 years on the L-S school committee and served as chair of the L-S building committee. I had two daughters attend and graduate from Lincoln-Sudbury and go on to do much in life themselves to help others. I have two granddaughters in SPS and on their way to L-S. My wife was a teacher at the Curtis Middle School for well over two decades and continued subbing at Curtis after she retired. All this time, some 40 years, I have maintained strong relationships with people in Sudbury, in Lincoln, and at L-S. That kind of experience and institutional knowledge can be an invaluable asset for Lincoln-Sudbury as we face some rather significant confusion in Washington, D.C.
With ongoing budget pressures and nuanced funding arrangements (for example, the shared cost allocation between Lincoln and Sudbury), what approaches would you take to ensure fiscal stability while still investing in educational priorities?
The short answer is the same kind of approaches I took for the 12 years I previously served on the L-S school committee. I would work hard, very hard, to keep the budget within limits prescribed by the Lincoln and Sudbury finance committees. But if it is not possible to stay within those limits without damaging cuts to Lincoln-Sudbury services, I would not hesitate to present the details of those damaging service cuts to the people of Lincoln and Sudbury and ask them for additional revenue if I believe it is truly needed to keep L-S the excellent school that it is.
What is your position on consolidation of school districts to form one K-12 district?
Though sometimes a bit cumbersome, the three district system is working effectively and has been for the past 40 years of my direct experience with it. Because of that and the financial, legal, and administrative confusion that would be associated with educational consolidation, I do not want to spend my limited time, talent, and energy on that. If others want to work on such a proposal, I would be more than happy to listen to what they have to say and consider all options.
Given that the district serves both Lincoln and Sudbury – and also includes METCO students – how would you promote equitable representation and decision making for all?
I would continue what is now happening: representatives from both Lincoln and Sudbury as voting members of the L-S school committee and active participation of a METCO representative at all L-S school committee meetings. I would also continue the practice of having L-S school committee meetings in Sudbury, Lincoln and at the METCO headquarters in Boston.
In light of the sudden changes at the federal Department of Education, how would you plan or prepare for possible changes in federal funding and grants for Lincoln-Sudbury?
It is important to keep in mind that it is not just direct federal funding which can affect Lincoln-Sudbury. If the federal government reduces education (or other) funding to the states, that reduction in funding will inevitably be passed down to municipalities. The problem with the current administration in Washington, D.C. is that we don’t know what will happen. First there are tariffs and then there are not and then there are. It is difficult to “plan” when you just don’t know what might happen next. But you can be ready for it and know you have to be prepared to respond quickly. That is where my experience as a trial lawyer, my experience with municipal and state funding, and my experience with L-S is critical. In my decades as a trial lawyer, I had to not only know the law, I had to know where to find it when I did not know it. I had to be ready to provide and be comfortable with a rapid response to changing situations, sometimes as they were happening live in a courtroom. Though there are always new things to learn, I have a great deal of pre-existing knowledge of municipal and state budgeting and revenue sources and contacts in state and local government that will be valuable when rapid changes in federal funding and grants occur.
How should L-S approach policies on gender inclusivity, including pronoun use and accommodations for transgender and gender non-binary students?
I would repeat the statements I made at the LWV forum. I believe that any student should be able to express their gender identity and choose the pronouns they want and that Lincoln-Sudbury should support every student in the decision they make. I also believe that if a student requests that their parents or caregivers not be informed of their pronouns, the student’s request should be respected. This kind of process can be difficult for students for many reasons and students need space to work through it. At the same time, the counseling department at Lincoln-Sudbury should be ready to work with any student to help that student work through any difficulties, including helping them talk with their parents or caregivers.
What is your vision for the district in the next five years?
We are going through uncertain and difficult times locally, nationally and globally. I want Lincoln-Sudbury to not just react to these times, but to strive to be a proactive leader in these times. That means that over the next several years, the L-S school committee should be ready, willing and able to have difficult conversations and discussions. It should not shrink from any topic simply because that topic is hard. At the same time, Lincoln-Sudbury should strive to improve and excel at its academic mission for all students. It should also strive to improve and excel at assisting with the social and emotional development of all of its students. That doesn’t necessarily mean more money, but it may mean more work for school committee members as they keep themselves open to and informed about all aspects of fully and completely educating high school students in these times.
Jack Ryan