Barbara A. Coopee,
Vice Chair of the Easthampton School Building Committee
66 Oliver Street
Easthampton, MA 01027
413-529-0690
I believe strongly that it is time to modernize the schools in Easthampton. True, they are clean, well-maintained and staffed by dedicated professionals, but they cannot accommodate the programs our children need to develop into their full potential and become the leaders of tomorrow. There are too many deficiencies in these buildings which take away the teacher’s ability to deliver the programs of the present and the future. I believe that to be the simple reality of our situation, and I base that on over thirty-two years of experience in education.
In August of this year, the City Council approved the request of the Easthampton School Building Committee for a debt-exclusion ballot question in the November election. A ‘yes’ vote means we can take the next important step of drawing up architectural design plans for a new elementary school and renovations to the existing high school. The State will not consider our proposal without these plans. The cost to develop the plans is 1.2 million dollars. The expense to the taxpayer is estimated to be an additional fifty-four dollars a year on their tax bill.
The need to modernize our schools has not and will not go away. To delay further, would only be a disservice to our citizens, mainly our children. To delay would only cost our city millions of dollars. In July of 2005, the state published figures which reflected payments of over 42.5 million dollars in school project reimbursements in twenty Western Massachusetts municipalities. It’s time for Easthampton to ‘step up to the plate’ and begin the process of improving our schools, some of which are the oldest in the state. We cannot afford to be myopic and view what was good enough fifty or hundred years ago, as good enough for our children today.
I urge the voters of Easthampton to research this topic and to open your hearts and minds to this great need. Vote ‘yes’ in November; support public education in our community.
Vote
YES to pass the override on
November 8th!
And…we
could use your help.
To
volunteer or donate to the Committee for Better Schools
Call us at 529-3500 to volunteer, make a donation, or tell us
what you think!"
Or email betterschools@gmail.com
There
is never a “good time” to spend money, but there is a “right time.”
And
the right time is now for Easthampton Schools.