School Committee Seeking Counsel on Wellman Data

The Lexington School Committee is meeting at 3 p.m. tomorrow, May 9, at the , and the only item on its agenda is a discussion with the School Committee and town counsel regarding the Wellman Report data voted to review.

On April 25, the School Committee voted in favor of reviewing a redacted version of comments provided by school staff in interviews with consultant Bruce Wellman, who was hired to study alleged issues with teacher morale and professional relationships within the school district. However, two weeks later, that information has not yet been provided.

Exactly how the School Commitee moves forward with that data could hinge on tomorrow’s discussion, according to School Committee Chair Mary Ann Stewart, who abstained from the vote in favor of making the data available for School Committee to review. 

“We’re moving forward with understanding the data,” Stewart told Patch on Tuesday afternoon. “I think the meeting with counsel will really clarify a number of questions that I have, a number of questions that other committee member have, on this whole matter.”

To read the Wellman Report, click on the PDF posted with the above images.

The information in question includes redacted versions of comments provided by school staff, which could be considered personnel records. According to Stewart, the meeting with the town and school counsels should help the School Committee to understand how it can approach, consider and deal with the data it voted to access. 

Stewart, Superintendent of Schools Paul Ash and others have expressed concerns about making the comments available to the School Committee, citing concerns about protecting anonymity of those who participated in the study. 

Ash – along with several others including Lexington Education Association President Phyllis Neufeld and Bridge School Principal Meg Colella – previously had access to at least some of this data as members of the steering committee that worked with Wellman to produce the report.

Regarding the unusual timing of the meeting – mid-afternoon on a Wednesday, before Town Meeting is due to convene that evening and when the School Committee typically meets Tuesday nights – Stewart said it’s simply a matter of timing among the School Committee members and attorneys requested to be present.

While the School Committee has had discussions about reorganization, those conversations have not impacted the timing of tomorrow’s meeting, according to Stewart. 

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