A Peek into Lynnfield's METCO program

In 1968 Lynnfield Public Schools opened its doors to 15 middle school students from Boston. These students made up the first METCO group in the Lynnfield school system. Currently, Lynnfield has 34 students in their METCO program in grades K-12.

Current Program

In 1999, Lelo Masamba, Lynnfield’s current METCO program director, came to the program. Prior to her work in Lynnfield, she worked as the Assistant Dean of Student Activities at MIT, and later she was the Director of Academic Advising at Roxbury Community College. “I was interesting catching students in their earlier stages of development,” Masamba said of her move to Lynnfield’s system.

Masamba says that while there are challenges to running a program like METCO, such as continuing to lobby for funding and having to tell some parents there aren’t enough spaces in the program to accept their child, the benefits trump these challenges.

“I remind myself of the many wonderful students and parents who sacrificed time, sweat and tears to make sure their children got into METCO successfully completed their K-12 education, and are no successful members of society,” Masamba said about when she thinks of the challenges.

“I think we would all agree that our children are worth every sacrifice,” she added. Masamba explains that there are many past students that are now married with children or are in the process of completing undergraduate and/or graduate degrees that she is now able to keep in touch with through Facebook.

Getting into the Program

The increase of charter schools has resulted in a decrease of students signing up with the METCO Placement Office in Boston. However, many parents will sign their students up at the office as soon as they are born.

The Lynnfield School committee comes together to vote on the number of students that can be accepted into the METCO program any particular year. Once that number is established Lynnfield’s METCO program asks the Placement office for referrals. 

When a student is accepted to a particular community, the parents can decline the offer and look for a community closer to Boston, or a suburb that where older siblings are already placed.

The school for students in the METCO program can be very long. The bus picks up the first group of students at 5:55am and some won’t get dropped off until 4:18-4:30pm. In some cases, students may get home later, depending on their involvement with after school activities. “We use a local cab company for late transportation for high school students interested in sports and other co-curricular activities including after school academic support,” Masamba said.

Importance to Community

  “METCO…is important to both communities because it provides a strong academic foundation, as well as opportunity for cultural, educational, ethnic and racial diversity to the community,” said Masamba.

Recently the METCO program put together a community wide event in celebration of Black History Month. This event is called Building Bridges “As the program's title alludes, ‘Building Bridges’ is one way for us to acknowledge that we do indeed have differences while still locking arms to celebrate that which unites us as people,” said Masamba.

The event took place on February 17, 2011 and included about 75 students. Performers from both the middle school and high school bands and choruses performed. Additionally, the Who Dat Band and Rumbafrica took the stage, after the students.

Looking Forward

  "I hope to open up the newspaper one day and read that one of my graduates has been elected to high office or whose profile has been raised because of great accomplishments,” said Masamba.

  Masamba also hopes that the community continues to support the program and the students in it. The community holds many fundraisers and contains programs such as the Host Family Program and the Lynnfield Friends Group, which are vital to the program’s success. Masamba said while the funding for the METCO program comes from outside sources, “our moral support comes from the community.”

  For more information, contact Ms. Masamba at masambal@lynnfield.k12.ma.us or visit the METCO webpage on the Lynnfield Public Schools webpage.