The appointment of two new School Committee members will take place during a joint meeting involving the Select Board and School Committee on Jan. 23. 

The upcoming appointments are a result of vacancies left by two committee members who resigned, leading to the candidacy of Kim Baker Donahue, Jenny Sheehan, and Kristen Elworthy for 1-year seats. 

“I plan to approach this position with transparency, thoughtfulness, and a plan for consensus building,” Elworthy told The Daily Item. “We are a community, and everybody is going to need to sort of rally around what the next steps are. And so even if they’re not the exact things that everybody wants, every moment, I hope that everybody would walk away and understand where things are at and feel that they have a voice in the process, and so they’re respected in the process.”

Lynnfield resident Brendan Cooney is running for a 3-year term, challenging incumbent Kate DePrizio. During an emergency meeting, the Lynnfield School Committee recently voted unanimously to appoint DePrizio and Jamie Hayman as the committee’s chair and vice chair, respectively. The appointments came from former Chair Rich Sjoberg and Vice Chair Stacy Dahlstedt’s resignations.

“My most immediate focus will be addressing committee communication, discerning Budget conversations for FY 24-25, and the continuity of leadership for the District,” DePrizio said. “Updating the School Committee’s communication style is a key opportunity to positively impact engagement with our staff, students, families, and the community. I know that we are all keenly aware of the challenges that lie ahead of us. United together is the only path forward. I want the LPS staff and community to know that their voices, needs, and concerns are important, and I am resolute in facilitating our recovery, healing, and growth.”

Additionally, Dick Dalton, a Select Board member, has been designated as the liaison between the Select Board and School Committee.