SARAH ENGLAND CARTER

SARAH ENGLAND CARTER

Name: Sarah Carter
Office Sought: School Committee
e-mail address: Secarter [at] gmail.com ()
phone number: 781-640-4802

Community Activities: 

  • Currently
    • PTO Co-President Clarke Middle School
    • VP MIniGrants for LHS PTO
    • Secretary for LEF
    • School Committee Liaison for SEPAC/LEXSEPTA
  • Previously
    • Girl Scout Leader 2012-2024
    • VP Membership Harrington PTA 2020-2024
    • Trivia Bee Co-Chair LEF 2021-2023
    •  Math Night Coordinator Bowman PTO 2016-2020
    •  LexFUN! Drop In Coordinator 2012-2016

 The schools have a two million deficit in the FY 2025 budget. Can you describe the reasons for the deficit and how the committee plans to reconcile their budget?

The current Lexington Public Schools Budget has a deficit about about $2m, and the administration has instituted a budget freeze to address this. Under the freeze, the schools will not be hiring any more staff, will limit further expenditures, and look for ways to cut spending in order to cover the shortfall. The administration has stated that they are working to ensure that these measures will not be felt in the classrooms by our students.

As we look ahead to FY2026, we are also noting a deficit between the total budget Dr. Hackett has requested for the schools and the amount that is available from the Town. All of these factors lead to an obvious question: what is causing this increase in costs?

Teacher salaries account for eighty percent of our school budgets. Over the last decade, LPS has added more teachers to our system, while our enrollment numbers have decreased. What is causing this counter-intuitive trend? There are a few factors. First, there has been a rise in our SPED populations. While the number of students who receive SPED services has remained fairly constant at just under 15%, the types of services these students require has changed dramatically in the past ten years. At LPS, as well as nationwide, we have seen a dramatic increase in the number of students who have been diagnosed with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder). Often students with this diagnosis require more direct support, which results in the need to hire more teachers. Paired with this, we have seen a decrease in enrollment in both our DLP (Developmental Learning Program) and the TLP (Therapeutic Learning Program) over the same time period. I support the Administration's call to review our SPED program, and to determine if our current programs truly meet the needs of our community. There may be changes we could implement that could better serve our students and families while also saving on costs to our taxpayers.

School budgets are complex systems with many parts, and one cannot look to any one group as the cause of budget deficits. I also support our school administration in taking the following steps:

  • Consolidating classrooms at the elementary and middle school levels where low enrollment numbers currently exist.
  • Review non-student facing roles and determine whether and how duties could be consolidated.
  • Review spending on teacher training, especially travel costs.