Urges board to think twice about school referendum

Vox Pop

Mr. Sullivan, you once again are trying to resubmit the school referendum.

Are you paying attention to where the world is at this time? The uncertainty of what will happen in this unstable time and for the near future. People are out of work and struggling. This is not a wealthy community.

You have in the past, gone ahead and bought land, without the input of the community, this is shady. You borrowed money from the maintenance fund, to cover your under estimated cost of the pool project, etc. This is not right. Can we trust you? Your estimate now, will change by the time the school would be built. Where will you steal from, to make up for the difference, then? Supplies are hard to come by right now and the prices are inflated. Are all of these wants, yours? Who are you trying to impress?

Equate the building to an old car. If you add a good quality oil and general upkeep maintenance, it will run for many years. If the roof is bad, fix it the right way, don’t cut corners, Make due. When you had the tour of the High School you took people to the worst areas and didn’t show them the good areas. Why do you need a new school? You say you are trying to attract new students. Really? The number of parents that are putting their children in RVA, (Rural Virtual Academy), continues to increase yearly, around 600 to date. These children are not in the public schools, why is this? Are they finding that their children are getting a better education this way? Do the kids need more elbow room, are they so spoiled that it has to be new? A building does not make a good school.

Does it bring good quality support staff, counselors, aides for the many special needs children or disabled kids, of which there seem to be more every year? The building is old, but basically solid. Don’t fix what isn’t broken, instead invest in teachers, who want to stay and do a good job. This pandemic, and how it is affecting the children, counselors, which are sorely needed especially in these troubling times, and maintenance staff to take care of up keep for the existing building. As for the Red White Room. If there isn’t enough room for one sitting, for whatever function, do two sittings. Adapt.

Many parents are working, and cannot adequately supervise what their children are doing or not doing, via this virtual learning and many are not able to help the children with their lessons, for example, (core) math. Dedicated teachers are needed.

You say it will only be X amount of dollars per tax payer, well in these uncertain times, this X amount of dollars will buy groceries.

Sports and their importance seem to be far too inflated, but they should not supersede, the bottom line, reading, writing, and Arithmetic.

Innovate, make due, and improvise.

— Cathy Bristol, Medford