I hesitated to write this because I know people are making the choices that are best for their own kids, and I do think it’s important to be able to have choice when in comes to our children’s education.

However, in the spirit of knowing the issues, I wanted to pass on the following information regarding the upcoming Question 2 on the ballot.

I am a teacher in the Mohawk Regional School District, so I have access to information that the average person might not. Those Pro-Question 2 TV spots can be very convincing!

Please consider voting “No” on Question 2. Here’s why: If Question 2 passes, an additional 12 charter schools a year would be allowed in our state.

Charters receive the “cost per pupil” for each kid that choices out. Fewer kids in the district equals higher cost per pupil, so it’s a snowball effect. In a small district like Mohawk, losing as few as five kids equals close to $80,000 that’s taken right off the top of our Chapter 70 money.

We can’t respond as easily as a larger district might be able to, since we can’t consolidate classrooms when there’s just one per grade, or lay off teachers or close a school for a handful of kids per grade. But those numbers add up. Mohawk pays out somewhere in the neighborhood of $800,000 to charter schools, and that’s not as simple as the state money just following the child — that cost-per-pupil amount is a much larger number.

Another thing people often hear is that districts are reimbursed for the money sent to charters. It’s supposed to be 100 percent the first year, 50 percent the second and 30 percent the third, with no further reimbursements after that. However, as with the unfunded busing promises when Mohawk regionalized, this has not happened. Any more charter schools in our area would cripple our district.

Also, please keep in mind that your local public school is accountable to an elected school board, and the budget is open to all. This is not the case with charters.

Striking down Question 2 would not affect current charter schools, but it would send a message that our local schools matter to us.

Jennifer Martin

Shelburne Falls