::What is a School Committee?

The School Committee exists to serve children and their educational, health, and safety needs.  The School Committee can enhance coordination so that schools and the LPS district better serve them, their families, and our community.

Since education is a State function, the five elected members of the School Committee serve as officers of the State.  At the local level, the School Committee is a legislative body responsible for establishing local policy for seeing that the schools are properly run in accordance with state law and regulations.  The Policy Manual is in the process of being completely updated with the assistance of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees.  The current manual may be found at http://lps.lexington,a.org/domain/201.

::To Lead and Advocate

I have a deep understanding of and love for our schools and our community. My family made a commitment to Lexington when we moved here in 1994. My husband, Duncan and I have had two of our three children successfully complete their Lexington public school education, and continue to educate our eighth grader at Clarke Middle School.

As a seasoned advocate for children and the public school system, I hold numerous leadership roles:

• Chair of the School Committee
• President of the Massachusetts PTA (2010-2012);
• Chair of MassPartners for Public Schools, a coalition of the six statewide education associations and the PTA;
• I was tapped to serve on DESE's Educator Evaluation Task Force last year and served on Governor Patrick's Readiness Project, Whole Child Subcommittee before that.

As a member of the School Committee, I have kept the education of our children the centerpiece of all decisions, balanced by the realities of school and Town resources, and tempered by productive and civil discourse.  I will continue to take on the Schools Committee's highest tasks: to enact wise policy, shape educationally sound, community conscious budgets, and advocate for what our students and schools need most.  I ask for your vote on Tuesday, March 6, 2012.

::Why I'm Running

Time and again, Lexington Public Schools have served as an example of excellence for teaching and learning across the state and across the country.  Our schools are the pride of our Town, a key component of our quality of life, and why so many of us choose to live here.  As a leader and champion of our schools, I am proud of my contributions and of the gains we have made:

• We are closing learning gaps between all students;
• We lead the state in program efficiencies and fiscal responsibility - over the past three years, the School Department has saved over $4.6 million dollars as a result;
• We continue to be recognized nationally, most recently as a leader in fostering collaborative Professional learning Communities, and for our Professional Development programs.

But, our work is not done.  With your support, I will keep working on the challenges before us:

• Continue to address the issue of teacher morale across the district
• Stabilize a maintenance plan for all school facilities
• Increase classroom technology
• Collaborate with our Town and unions to reduce health care costs
• Begin to restore programs that have been lost in past years, like additional high school science labs and elementary foreign language.

I will continue to engage a broad constituency, advocating for what our schools and students need.  I will continue to listen and understand diverse perspectives and work collaboratively to find positive solutions.  I am eager to continue to both exercise the skills I've developed as a school committee member and continue to bring my broad knowledge of issues advocacy, policy, and budgeting from my work at the State-level to bear on the work ahead for Lexington.

::Campaign Coffees

I will continue to engage residents on topics of interest or concern during School Matters info sessions at Panera Bread in Lexington Center (1684 Mass. Ave.) and at candidate forums as noted below:

• Thursday February 16, 7pm. League of Women Voters’ Candidates Night, Jonas Clarke Middle School, 17 Stedman Road
• Monday February 27, 9:30am. Home of Amy Weinstock and Mike Coln
• Thursday March 1, 7pm. South Lexington Civic Association (SLCA) Candidates’ Forum, Brookhaven, 1010 Waltham Street
• Saturday March 3, 1:30pm (note date change) Chinese American Association of Lexington (CAAL) Candidates’ Forum, at the home of Sophia & Larry Ho
• Sunday March 4, 2:30pm. Merriam Hill Association, Pilgrim Congregational Church, 55 Coolidge Avenue

Election day is Tuesday, March 6, 2012.

::Running for Re-election

As a long-time advocate and activist for public education, I enthusiastically announce my candidacy for re-election to the School Committee. It is critical that our children continue to be educated to meet future challenges. I have worked strategically and collaboratively in this regard over the past three years and seek your support in continuing that important work.

Lexington’s public schools are the pride of our community, a key component of our quality of life, and why so many of us choose to live here. Yet, as we prepare to enter 2012, state and federal fiscal austerity measures have resulted in budget uncertainty. If re-elected, I will continue to engage a broad constituency, advocating for what our schools and students need. I will continue to listen and understand diverse perspectives and work collaboratively to find positive solutions. I am eager to continue to both exercise the skills I’ve developed as a School Committee member, and continue to bring my broad knowledge of issues advocacy, policy and budgeting from my work at the state level to bear on the work ahead for Lexington.

As a leader and champion of our schools, I am proud of my contributions. As part of an engaged community committed to excellent schools, I remain committed to raising achievement for all students to ensure each is prepared with the knowledge, skills, and experience necessary for college, career, and social and civic success.

I invite you to peruse my website (www.maryannforschoolcommittee.com), visit my Facebook campaign page, and to follow me on twitter (@mascipioni) for information about me, the campaign, and how you can become involved. I enjoy this work and it is a privilege to serve the Lexington community as a member of the School Committee. I am also up for re-election as a Town Meeting Member this year. If you live in Precinct 1, I would be grateful for one of your Town Meeting Member votes. I ask for your vote on Tuesday, March 6, 2012.

Gift Giving for Teachers

Recently updated regulations from the State Ethics Commission in Massachusetts impact gift-giving to teachers in our schools.  The rules were adjusted to allow teachers to receive a class gift or group gift of up to $150 a year, so long as individuals from the group are not named and the amounts by each individual are not listed.  According to the new guidelines, individual students may offer a gift to teachers of up to $50, but teachers must report gifts to the Commission unless the gift is below $10 or is homemade.

For more examples for families and students, please visit the State Ethics website:  http://www.mass.gov/ethics/gifts-to-public-school-teachers-and-staff.html

School Committee: Community Input

During meetings, both presentations and School Committee discussions will be brief.  Public input, when time permits, will be limited.  The following procedures for Public participation will be followed:

1. All comments/questions should be directed to the School Committee Chair.
2. During Public Comment, speakers will be limited to three minutes; comments should focus on school policy matters rather than on administrative matters.
3. Individuals should not expect an immediate reply from the Committee, since this is a time for questions or concerns to be heard and not the time for decisions to be made.  Generally, the Administration will return to the next meeting with a response or the item is place on the Agenda for a following meeting for further discussion.

If need be, the School Committee may vote to go into closed session (Executive Session) to discuss items permitted by law, such as those of collective bargaining strategy.

The Lexington School Committee endeavors to discharge our responsibilities properly and welcomes comments that would serve to improve School Committee procedures.