Lexington, we have a problem. As of today, the majority of Lexington Public School employees have been working without a contract for 72 days. Your children’s teachers, instructional assistants, academic coaches, interventionists, administrative support staff, special education service providers, nurses, mental health professionals, recess supervisors, and more show up daily to educate Lexington students. To make this happen in the next fiscal cycle, we need your support at the Budget Summit on November 18.

As the Lexington Select Board continues to direct money into special accounts, they place the Lexington School Committee in the untenable position of offering salaries that keep many of my colleagues working below a living wage. The dedicated School Committee team meets with the Lexington Education Association to negotiate new contracts, but educators cannot accept their low compensation proposals. Lexington’s financial proposals fall below the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) increases we see in settled contracts for educators in neighboring communities. Lexington has the capacity to offer a living wage and fair COLA increases.

The Select Board’s outdated budget allocation method resulted in significant cuts this school year. The district eliminated dozens of staff positions responsible for teaching and supporting our students. In response to inquiries from my colleagues, Select Board Chair Joe Pato stated that “neither the municipal nor the school budgets will be able to maintain level service for FY28 [Fiscal Year 2027–2028].” Translation: it’s about to get worse.

Solutions exist to fix this problem, and they will require Lexington community members joining together with educators to make our priorities clear. Brand-new school buildings are wonderful, and we should fill them with the best educators for our students. If we do not act together, more budget cuts are imminent. Lexington’s strong reputation for educational excellence is at stake.

My colleagues and I invite parents, students, and concerned community members to join us for an important rally in support of education funding. Please meet us on Wednesday, November 18, at 6:00 p.m. outside Cary Hall, and join us inside for the 7:00 p.m. Budget Summit meeting with the town’s financial committees. If you can’t attend, please email the Select Board with your concerns. Our 6,500+ students across all ten schools deserve our united support to help reform how Lexington funds our school budget.

I’ll see you on Wednesday!

Matthew Small, M.Ed., NCC

The writer is a member of the Lexington Education Association in his 14th year of service to the local school community. He was previously named Counselor of the Year by the Greater Boston School Counselors Association.

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