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Students urge Lynn Public Schools to fix extracurricular funding, transportation and advisor stipends
Summary
At the Jan. 30 open mic, students with the Neighbors to Neighbors youth committee and other student speakers urged the school committee to address inconsistent extracurricular funding, unclear pathways for advisor stipends, unreliable transportation to rehearsals and competitions, and a lack of instruments and materials.
Students and youth advocates used the open mic portion of the Jan. 30 meeting to press the Lynn School Committee for clearer, equitable supports for extracurricular programs across the district.
Asandam Portchap, a senior at Lynn English High School speaking for the Neighbors to Neighbors youth committee, asked that students be included in discussions about extracurricular supports and that the district treat student proposals seriously and collaboratively.
“...we are serious about the desire to be a part of this process and to work alongside you and to show you that we have valuable perspectives and offerings in doing so,” Portchap said.
Moshemid Jahan, a junior at Lynn English High School, focused on the club-advisor stipend process. He urged clearer, budgeted pathways so newly created student clubs can secure advisor stipends; he said the district’s pathway is unclear and places an “unfair burden on students trying to figure them out.” Jahan noted that formal stipend adjustments must be negotiated through the teachers union but said the committee and staff could clarify procedures and timelines.
John Giovanni, a senior and member of the Lynn English math team and all-city band, described material shortfalls that affect competitive programs: expensive specialized textbooks (he cited the Art of Problem Solving series at about $50 each), a decline in orchestra membership (from about 50 to roughly 30 across high schools, he said), and insufficient loaner instruments. Giovanni described being hampered by outdated equipment and inconsistent support at competitions and asked for a fairer allocation of materials funding.
Valeria Mendez, a four-year member of the Lynn Classical Orchestra, described repeated delays and cancellations in transportation to rehearsals and to competitions, including a recent competition where students were left without a bus and had to secure their own transportation. She said unreliable busing discourages participation and reduces program membership. “Every year, we delay the start of our orchestra rehearsals waiting for the bus to arrive…Students are discouraged from attending rehearsal and eventually leave the program,” she told the committee.
Committee members acknowledged the student testimony; district staff previously described partnerships and programming supports but did not announce specific new allocations during the Jan. 30 meeting. Students asked the committee to collaborate with them on clear procedures for advisor stipends, consistent materials funding and reliable transportation to support extracurricular participation.
