Kristin Bairos sworn-in to vacant School Committee seat; Supt. presents Entry Plan for equity in district

By Neil Zolot

Kristin Bairos was appointed as a member At-Large of the School Committee to fill the term vacated by former vice chairman Samantha Lambert, at their meeting Monday, August 26. “I’m excited,” she said after the meeting. “I have kids in the school system and want the best for our kids.”

Lambert announced her resignation based on moving out of Everett June 17, but it did not become official until August 1. She had been re-elected to the position last November.

City regulations called for the next highest vote getter in the 2023 At-Large race outside the three winners Lambert, Samantha Hurley and Joseph LaMonica to get the seat, if they received 20% of the total vote.

That was Cynthia Sarnie, who was an incumbent in 2023 and trailed LaMonica by only 16 votes. Attending the meeting to swear-in Bairos, City Clerk Sergio Cornelio reported Sarnie declined the offer, but all other candidates in the race were eligible having received at least 20% of the vote, roughly 1,000 votes.

The seat was then offered to Bairos, who accepted. She had finished 5th, only 77 votes behind Sarnie, and was aware of what was going on. “It’s been a whirlwind,” she confessed. “I wasn’t expecting the resignation.”

Her tenure will be to occupy the seat until the end of its term, about sixteen months away in time for the 2026 election.

Lambert’s resignation also left the position of vice-chairman open. To fill it, the members elected member At-Large Samantha Hurley in the slot. “I want to thank my colleagues for your trust in me in this role,” she said. “Our work as a committee is felt district-wide and I look forward to a productive school year.”

She also thanked Lambert for her “dedication and advocacy for students.”

In a housekeeping measure, the Committee approved appropriating $203,286 to the Security Department Contracted Services line item in the budget after the City received additional funds of Chapter 70 education aid added to the state Fiscal 2025 budget.

Superintendent William Hart said the money would be used for additional staffing at various locations depending on need and additional cameras “for an added level of security.”

Hart also briefed the members on his 2024-25 school-year Entry Plan, formulated under the supervision of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents (M.A.S.S.). This year is Hart’s first full school year as Superintendent, prompting formulation of the plan now as opposed to when he took over in the middle of 2023-24. “The process is designed to be completed within the first year and would typically be presented in July, but we didn’t have a meeting in July,” School Department Communications Coordinator Dave O’Connor explained.

Briefing the Committee on the concept of an Entry Plan, Hart’s adviser from the M.A.S.S. Meg Mayo-Brown, said such plans “strengthen the drive to improve student outcomes.”

She also said the plans focus on equity in the system for marginalized groups. The National Center for Education Statistics indicates statistics from various data sources like national surveys of students, parents, teachers, and principals, highlight disparities in education among population groups, including differences by race/ethnicity, sex, socioeconomic status, English learner status, and disability status.

According to the National Equity Project, “Educational equity means that each child receives what they need to develop to their full academic and social potential.” This process involves “ensuring equally high outcomes” for all students while “removing the predictability of success or failures that correlates with any social or cultural factor,” such as having reliable access to transportation.

As mentioned in a June 17^th discussion on absenteeism, 41% of students in Everett speak English as a second language; 70% of students are in low-income situations.

Hart divided his presentation into three chapters, Surveying the Vessel, Steadying the Ship and Charting the Course.

Surveying the Vessel, running from January to June this year involved “developing transparent and collaborative relationships with stakeholders and constituencies to gain insight into strengths, challenges and opportunities” through listening sessions, reviewing data and learning about equity from the data.

Steadying the Ship, running through the end of 2024, involves “establishing a baseline for critical processes for operations and compliance implementing new efficiencies,” by reviewing policies and the organizational chart of the school system and “ensuring a budget process that is inclusive and transparent,” and “determining areas for future study, including student outcomes by school and grade with an emphasis on reviewing outcomes for marginalized students.”

Charting the Course, running from January to June 2025, is working on “an inclusive planning process to establish a safe, welcoming and supportive environment for students and employees” by reviewing how space is used, assessing Information Technology systems and creating a multi-year district-wide implementation plan focused on student success and goals based on improving outcomes for marginalized students.

“We can develop a plan for a culture of success and build a culture of respect,” Hart elaborated “We want to make students feel welcome in a building. If they want to be there, we can find ways to enhance their educational experience. I’m committed to this and with a dedicated staff we can get there.”

Mayo-Brown said Hart put together “a strong plan that addresses issues of equity.”