Image from Lowell Telemedia coverage of February 4, 2026 meeting showing only 3 School Committe members seated in chambers. (Not pictured: Mayor Gitschier at the podium)

“Do your job!”

Those three oft-repeated words were at the core of Bill Belichick’s success leading the New England Patriots football dynasty. Or at least they were when a certain G.O.A.T. was plying his craft in Foxboro.

Unfortunately for Belichick, once Tom Brady stopped doing his job for the Patriots, the coach was no longer successfully able to do his.

The other often famous saying that sticks out is “half the battle is showing up.” In other words, being present and taking initiative is the most significant step toward success.

Yet when it comes to showing up, the current Lowell School Committee term features too many empty chairs and too many Zoom appearances, leading some to wonder how successful they’re going to be in tackling the challenges facing Lowell Public Schools.

I get it. Things happen. Life happens. Vacation happens. Children get sick. Family members fly in from out of town. And sometimes, you just need a day off.

But let’s also be honest. The school committee’s regular schedule calls for meetings twice a month. Add in an occasional “special session” or budget process, and you’re required to show up 52 times? 53? Hell, let’s get crazy and for the sake of this argument say 60 times!

What’s that? A third of the 180 days students are asked to show up? Not exactly a Herculean ask, is it?

The most obvious, and sensitive example people point to is that of longtime SC member Connie Martin.

To date, she’s answered roll call twice over the course of six meetings this term. Both of those have been via Zoom. Not to mention, numerous missed meetings at the end of the 2024-2025 term. She even missed the new committees inaugural and group swearing in ceremony.

Her absence at the two sessions regarding the contracts of the three Assistant Superintendents, even via zoom, got people to start asking questions. Especially when the first of those meetings ended in a 3-3 deadlock, resulting in the need to alter the negotiated contracts down from three years to one in order to get enough votes to pass them the second time they came up.

So this is where I’ll tread lightly, other than to reveal InsideLowell had recently received information that the absence involves health.

In a conversation this afternoon, Martin confirmed she is dealing with a health issue, which she did not want to elaborate on. What she did indicate is that she is hopeful of returning to committee meetings via zoom in about two weeks.

We wish her a full and speedy recovery.

If you watched this past Wednesday’s meeting, it’s apparent a continued, lengthy absence could become problematic as budget discussions teeter on the edge of contentiousness. If nothing else, Martin’s experienced, steady hand at the table would help, not to mention her deciding vote in case of another deadlock.

But she’s not the only one who’s been absent on the floor.

Between “not present” and “on Zoom,” there has always at least one empty chair that should be occupied during the current term. You read that correctly. There has not been a single meeting where all seven members were present in chambers.

Only one occasion, January 21, saw all seven members answer roll call (Martin on Zoom). Meanwhile, the February 4 gathering featured only four members in person and one on Zoom.

Only Fred Bahou, Danielle McFadden and Mayor Erik Gitschier have scored perfect attendance. In person, to boot. A star on the forehead and homework passes for each of them!

For those arguing it’s a post-covid world and video conferencing is all the rage, talk to the educators who had to deal with remote learning to see how “attentive” those locked down students were on their computer screens.

Put it another way; if zoom was so effective, there wouldn’t have been a need to hire all the extra staff members now under consideration for layoffs.

Not to mention, when five people are meeting in person and one is on zoom, the conversational flow is far from smooth. Awkward pauses, speaking over each other, losing track of the conversation, and even the occasional stray comment not intended for everyone’s ears will be heard.

Is it any wonder this committee often appears disjointed and even snippy with one another?

At times, the Mayor’s frustration is palpable at the confusion over items discussed at prior meetings or in executive session needing to be rehashed.

You ever play or follow team sports? Is the whole greater than the sum of its parts when you can never get all team members on the court at the same time, especially for an important game?

To be fair, the city council is far from a cohesive unit at this point, but at least they show up for playoff games (important votes).

It’s time for this school committee to do the same. These are tough times and people are going to lose jobs, families will lose a level of financial security, and the educational playing field for Lowell’s students will be altered.

At the very least, they deserve a dedicated governing body, the full body, to make the important decisions. If we’re going to ask kids to show up to class 180-times, it’s not too much to ask the adults deciding their future to be there 50-times…in person.

There’s a reason the documentary series about Tom Brady was titled Man in the Arena and not Critic on the Sidelines…or on Zoom.