Dear Lincoln, I’ve been really impressed by the enthusiasm with which this community has been engaging in the discussion of our schools’ budget and student outcomes. While I understand the concern some have expressed on the topic, my thoughts have been more in line with what Parry Graham expressed at the first superintendent candidate night last Thursday: when investigating a new role, the first step is to learn. For me, some of that learning is happening now, gaining individual perspectives from the town from conversations like this one.
Some of the learning, of course, concerns the raw data itself. My time as a data scientist has taught me to be cautious in my interpretation of new data. A too-narrow dataset or a misinterpretation of a metric can result in drawing the wrong conclusions, but at the same time, if you keep hunting for new data, you can inadvertently bend the data to your will and draw a biased conclusion. In this instance, it’s important to start from the ground truth DESE data <https://www.doe.mass.edu/finance/statistics/default.html>, where it is true that per student spending is above some similar, nearby districts but it is also lower than others, like Weston (which of course is K-12, though high schools generally have a lower per-student cost). Concerning the higher costs, I am confident that there is more data out there explaining the value of our towns’ investment and the exemplary outcomes for Lincoln K-8 students. My time as a teacher tells me that there is much more to student outcomes than test scores. Concerning i-Ready math assessments and student sentiment surveys, without data over time or valid comparison cohorts, it would be hasty to conclude that this data demonstrates problems beyond those shared across the country as students and communities recover from disruptive pandemic years. But that isn’t to say the data isn’t of critical value: it helps us chart our roadmap forward, as a district and for each individual student. If I were to be elected to the School Committee, I’d pursue a better understanding of our investments in every student we serve in our schools. But I would begin from the perspective that we have a wonderful school district and my focus would be on opportunities to further improve it. Thank you for your engagement on this important topic. Through honest conversation and earnest enthusiasm about our schools, I hope to earn your vote. Jake Lehrhoff 11 Linway Road
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