Thank you to Paul Jablon for his insightful Feb. 17 column “How can the School Committee make a decision without evidence?” that addressed reconfiguring Greenfield’s elementary schools. I agree with the writer’s concern regarding the chairperson of the Reenvisioning our School Facilities Subcommittee, Jean Wall, stating in a Feb. 10 Recorder article that the committee could not recommend the most popular reconfiguration — Option 4 (K-5 at the elementary level) — because the superintendent and mayor said this favored option would require “significant construction on the schools.”
As Jablon states, “A research firm presented the committee with four potential options for how to best reconfigure the district’s schools, with a focus on educational, social and racial equity.” The overwhelming choice by parents and teachers who attended meetings on this topic as well as two of the three members of the subcommittee was Option 4, to return the three district elementary schools to a K-5 configuration.
When the superintendent and the mayor were asked for details on the nature and cost of the construction necessary for Option 4, both did not have any details. However, the superintendent seems to favor Option 1 which would designate one school as K-1, another as 2-3, and the third as 4-5.
As a retired educator with 42 years in education, I would certainly have grave concerns about Option 1, the least of which would be the need for construction to make the schools suitable to these diverse populations. Our elementary schools were designed and built to house K-5 students, and therefore I, too, would be seeking further information about the costs of housing that population in those buildings at this time. I also think parents would be greatly concerned about Option 1 requiring longer bus rides for their children and the separation of siblings from each other.
I close by noting that the research team did not have fiscal concerns as one of their determiners in making their recommendations. We live in a city that has one of the highest tax rates in the state of Massachusetts. If we can build new schools, then we need to make sure we spend the money to house and educate our children in a way that provides the most ideal learning opportunities.
This is not a time to make penny-pinching decisions that might affect our children’s learning. As Jablon would say, let’s see the evidence before we make such an important decision. Please contact your School Committee representative to voice your concern.
Shirley Gilfether lives in Greenfield.