Parents Amy and Jeff Feinberg voiced their concerns about staffing issues in the Differentiated Learning Program at Lynnfield Middle School during the town’s latest School Committee meeting. 

According to Understood.org, differentiated instruction “tailors instruction to students’ different learning needs” by allowing students to demonstrate their knowledge in different ways without replacing “the goals in a child’s individualized education plan or 504 plan.”

“We are parents of Middle School students, with one of them being in the DLP,” Amy Feinberg said at last week’s meeting. “It is a substantially separate program and the classroom represents the children most in need of assistance from our teaching staff to make meaningful progress and receive a proper education that they’re required by law.”

The Feinbergs said that they are concerned with the quality of education DLP students are receiving because of teachers and paraprofessionals leaving the school.

“It has become alarmingly apparent that we are having staffing issues,” Amy Feinberg said. “The slow replacement hires coming into this year is proof of that. The DLP saw one of its teachers leave the program. But the Middle School has lost two critical teachers among them, many also paraprofessionals.”

According to the Feinbergs, the qualifications for hiring paraprofessionals are too low. They suggested increasing pay and offering bonuses to attract more qualified professionals. 

“The paraprofessionals that we are recruiting are people that are untrained at teaching or being able to professionally address the needs of our children,” Jeff Feinberg said. “That’s disheartening. Why don’t we increase the base pay we’re offering our paraprofessionals and teachers and institute hiring bonuses or other incentives to ensure that we are getting the appropriate professional help that our children need? If we can increase the superintendent’s pay by 11% in a non-contract year, we should be able to do something for our teacher retention and hiring additional professionals.”

The Feinbergs said they are worried that the current situation is negatively affecting the education their children are getting, and that they want the school to take action to improve the situation.

“Our children are the ones suffering,” Amy Feinberg said.