October 17, 2005

Letter to the Editor,

We strongly urge the residents of Easthampton to vote yes November 8th to pass the debt-exclusion override in taking the first steps to build a new elementary school and renovate the high school. We have to act now! Our children should be a priority, not a last thought.

We have lived in Easthampton for close to 15 years. In that time we have watched the town grow and change in so many ways. There has been an increase in population, a revived downtown business, new Safety Complex, new City Building, new Bike Trail, new Senior Center, new soccer fields and new restaurants. We have witnessed the “almost Renaissance” of this beautiful city. The one area that continues to be neglected is our public schools. It is astounding that we have left our children and our schools behind. Some buildings are over a hundred years old. Two schools don’t have proper cafeterias or gymnasiums. There are potential health hazards in some buildings, while others have inadequate wiring to house current technology needs. These buildings are drastically lacking what is needed to properly educate our youth today.

Our daughter is a first grade student at Center School with a wonderful teacher and we have met many dedicated staff.  However, without a major investment in the structure of schools, they will not be able to meet our daughter’s needs in the 21^st century, no matter how dedicated her future teachers are.  It would be a sin if she were not able to attend school with her friends and neighbors. We may have to seek an alternative school district where her education won’t suffer due to a lack of modern facilities. We would again have to seek the option of her attending a school that would best prepare her for success in today’s world.
 
To not act now may be penny wise, but pound foolish.  To not address building a new elementary school and renovate the high school would be shameful and unforgiving. The longer we put off the inevitable the more expensive it will be in the long run. Easthampton lost over a million dollars to educate our city’s children in other districts last year. That is the cost of this override. We can’t afford to lose additional bright creative Easthampton children to other districts.

We implore all of the voters of Easthampton to support our children and schools by voting yes November 8^th.  Let’s include our public schools in the progressive positive growth of Easthampton.  Our children are too important to ignore.

Andrea, Tess and Bob McCallum, Jr.

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.

Back to www.committeeforbetterschools.org