Residents urge a restored speech-and-debate program and ask for transparency on audit
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Summary
At the March 23 meeting, Jack Burke proposed a funded speech-and-debate program for Methuen schools and offered seed money; Maria Figueroa, a district employee, publicly asked whether new committee members had seen an unredacted audit and raised concerns about central office hours, staffing and bullying processes.
A proposal to restore a formal speech-and-debate program and public calls for transparency over an audit were the most prominent public comments at the Methuen School Committee’s March 23 meeting.
Jack Burke (introduced by the chair) urged the committee to establish a dedicated municipal trust fund, enroll Methuen High School and four middle schools in the National Speech and Debate Association, and embed a DEI framework. "What we call debate in public life today is not debate," Burke said, arguing that debate education builds civic skills. He offered a $2,500 founding donation and asked the city to match it to seed the program.
Maria Figueroa, who identified herself as having worked three years in Methuen Public Schools, thanked the vice chair for an earlier question and asked whether new committee members had been privy to "the unredacted version of that audit." She also raised concerns about a change in central office posted hours, the district’s use of retired secretaries, potential overtime pressures for kindergarten registration, and ongoing processes around bullying and harassment. "If we aren't having these conversations and we're pretending that these problems aren't existing, we're doing no justice to anyone," she said.
Committee leaders acknowledged the comments. The chair closed the public-participation period after no further speakers signed up and reminded residents of the procedure for submitting written comments ahead of meetings.
