| The School Committee will ask voters to approve money for 12 new elementary classrooms at the Annual Town Meeting on May 1. The 12 classrooms will expand our elementary school buildings where the enrollment crunch is currently taking place. Each of the three elementary schools (Meadow Brook, Mapleshade and Mountain View) will receive four new permanent classrooms. Our three elementary schools were built years ago before the town experienced the current growth boom. Mapleshade Elementary School was built in 1955. Its original occupancy was for 240 students; it currently holds 301 students. Mountain View Elementary school was built in 1961. Its original occupancy was for 240 students; it currently holds 316 students also. Meadow Brook Elementary School, our largest elementary school, was built in 1969. Its original occupancy was licensed for 402 students. We currently have 637 students enrolled at Meadow Brook! Some of our students are meeting in old supply closets; some are meeting on the stages of our cafetoriums; and some are simply meeting in the hallways. We have run out of space. And we continue to enroll students every week. Remembering that our elementary schools were all built in the 1950s and 1960s, it is important to note that the town census of 1955 was only 7,857 residents. Today, we have more than doubled our town census to over 16,000 residents, but our schools have remained the same. Yes, we have added 4 portable trailer classrooms to Meadow Brook Elementary School. Those trailer classrooms were originally purchased seven years ago knowing that these were a "temporary" solution to our growth. These are not permanent solutions to growth, and the trailers have begun to show their age and continuously need maintenance. When you look at Mapleshade and Mountain View you will also see two trailer classrooms at each site- but these are not ours. The trailer classrooms are owned by the Lower Pioneer Valley Educational Collaborative. We pay rent annually to use these- we have been paying for the last six years to use these due to growth in our schools. Paying rent is also not a permanent solution to our town's growth. You and I don't live in trailers why should we expect our children to be educated 10 months a year in trailers? On May 1, 2006, a vote will be taken to allow the town to build 12 new classrooms. This voting process takes two steps. Step 1 is that the vote at the town meeting will be a debt exclusion vote. This vote must pass by a 2/3 majority vote of residents attending the Town Meeting. If the vote passes at the Town Meeting, it then must go to the next step. Step 2 will only take place if step one is successful. Step 2 is a town-wide ballot vote within 30 days of the Town Meeting to ask the entire town to vote, by ballot, to build the 12 new classrooms. The ballot vote in step 2 only needs to pass by a simple majority of votes. The cost for the 12 new classrooms works like this. If we build all 12 now, we can save money by using only one architect, one general contractor, and one set of subcontractors. To do the classrooms separately or in smaller clusters will cost more due to state laws requiring architects and contractors for each job thus the design and building costs duplicate with each singular construction job. We can save money by doing them all at once. Tax estimates from the Town Assessors office show that this project could be bonded for ten years. A debt exclusion bond only would raise taxes for the 10 years and then go away much like a mortgage on a house when it is paid for, the payments are gone. The tax rate would increase $24 per home valuation of $100,000. That means if your home is worth $200,000, your tax increase would be $48 per year at the most. If your home is worth $300,000, your tax increase would be $72 per year at the most. We're talking $4 to $6 dollars a month to build classrooms for the average home owner in town. Adult sacrifice for the sake of our children is at the heart of building schools. Our grandparents and our parents sacrificed much more for us when we went to school. In fact, our grandparents and parents gave tax moneys to build our schools on top of the fact that we were at war. Shouldn't we make the same sacrifice our grandparents and parents made for us? Education is the key to the success of our children. The Town Meeting is the heart of town government for East Longmeadow. All registered voters are encouraged to attend and vote on the 12 new classrooms to begin construction next year. Remember, it will take a good part of a year to build these classrooms, and we will continue to enroll new students throughout the entire year. Thomas McGowan School Committee Chair |
