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> Opinion > Letters To The Editor > Time to draw a line
I am writing this article as a concerned Longmeadow High School graduate. During my return to Longmeadow for spring break I was disappointed to learn that as many as 35.5 teachers may be cut system wide next year and that elimination of sixth grade string instrument programs and orchestral music at the middle school level is contemplated. These are deep cuts. Sadly, teacher pink slips and losses to the performing arts programs are not a new trend in the Longmeadow School system. The enactment of Proposition 2-1/2 crippled the ability of Massachusetts communities to raise taxes annually at the rate of inflation. Longmeadow has responded to the budget shortfalls that result on a crisis basis. Regular and anticipated override planning has not been used as a management tool. This lack of local planning and the current unpredicted global economic crisis has deepened our crisis. A history of override phobia and today's economic situation should raise concern about the welfare of the Longmeadow education system and is certainly making me wonder whether there is a "will" behind the community's support for education.
In the last 14 years the Longmeadow education system has endured many ups and downs. With the budget cuts proposed for the upcoming year we are in for a rude awakening. If we don't invest in the education system both on an annual basis and with the future in mind, how can we expect to continue to attract new families who will support this community and populate our schools with children, who are committed to their education, like those who preceded them.
Education is expensive but tax supported public education is still cheaper than the tuition at private school. We are not a booming metropolis with a thriving commercial district but we chose this scenario. Our suburban community has prided itself on our education system and neighborhood feel.
Either we accept our structure and fund the difference or change the way in which our town is structured. It is the risk and the reward of living in this community. If our commitment is real and we wish to retain Longmeadow's reputation, we cannot continue down the road we are on by cutting exceptional teachers and eliminating the distinguished programs that have formed the foundation of our success. This brings me to a discussion of the new high school.
For as long as I can remember residents of Longmeadow have been bitter about the lack of state funding we receive for our community. Ten years after a NEASC report threatened our accreditation over issues that included infrastructure deficiencies, five years after our town first agreed to support analysis of the high school building and a year after we approached the state to secure funding for improvements to our high school, the Commonwealth is prepared to provide us with between 30 and 40 million tax dollars to build a new high school and we are hesitant? We made the Commonwealth's short list because our high school facility is among the worst in the state. We should feel no pride in that designation.
I also can not understand why anyone would be arguing a preference for a renovated high school when building professionals, architects, project managers and the state's own building specialists have concurred that a brand new building is the most cost effective option.
So what is everyone arguing about? The School Building Committee, a bipartisan group comprised of SC, SB and community members should be thanked for their hard work in bringing this opportunity to our community. I may be a naive college student but connecting these dots seems pretty simple and failing to do so seems incredibly short-sighted.
A new school will benefit students and the community too. It will attract new residents to Longmeadow instead of neighboring school systems like Minnechaug who have already accepted state support and signed a contract for a new high school. It will serve as a place for all members of the community to congregate, to hold meetings, attend lectures and watch performances after school hours.
If we really do pride ourselves on a sense of community in Longmeadow why not have a building that actually fosters it, complete with recreational areas like the gymnasium and an auditorium open to the public? At this point a new high school might be this community's saving grace. It would support our education values with a facility that compliments those values for succeeding generations while continuing to attract new residents and serious educators to our community.
It is time to draw the line Longmeadow. Agree on a vision for our schools in the next five years and beyond and support it with both viable operating budgets and long term infrastructure investment. Longmeadow won't be much more than another pretty place without our reputation for providing students with an outstanding education. Pretty homes don't sustain themselves. They reflect their owner's ability to maintain them and without quality schools and programming. I wonder whether Longmeadow will continue to distinguish itself from surrounding communities.
Eliza Cress
Longmeadow High School Class of 2009
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