In response to James Grace’s published opinions last week, I would like to offer my perspective on school redesign. James refers to an inability to find common ground between those who are supporting school closures and those who are not. I might offer that this is not because of our inability to agree on facts but rather a difference in what these facts mean to us and how they fit into the visions we hold for the future of our communities.
My vision for our future includes communities that come together to solve problems proactively when they arise, who think creatively and do not act out of fear but out of courage to pursue the future they desire. Put into the current context, this means that I desire for our leaders to come together to set positive goals for increasing enrollment through additional programming, child care, affordable housing and middle class employment in our area over the next 10 years. This is how we meet the challenge before us, control our tax rate, stabilize our budgets and all end up better off for it.
The vision of many on the board seems to be pushing us to become like everywhere else in America, consolidated, generic and holding financial efficiency above our personal values.
Our local elementary schools play an integral part in each community, and we value that. I want my 4-year-old to bake and deliver pumpkin bread to the school neighbors during her preschool day, see those same neighbors at the store later that week and again when we go trick-or-treating in town. This is how she builds her community and becomes connected to and supported by her neighbors. I want her class sizes to remain small, for her teachers to have the time and energy to individualize her learning and scaffold her interests. I want her to be able to ride the bus home and only lose 10 minutes of her precious day. And I want every other student to have that same opportunity in their hometown.
Anyone who has created and maintained a budget knows that there are some areas that you prioritize over others. When I look at my budget, I prioritize fully funding our public education. I do not condone spending recklessly, there would certainly be a limit, but it is not a number I am trying to minimize no matter the consequences. There is a real cost to education; it goes up every year just like everything else. The savings to an average-size household by closing an elementary school and middle school is currently estimated to be between $100 to $150 per year, less if you receive an income sensitivity. That’s hovering right around $10 to $12 a month. That’s literally a deli sandwich and an apple for lunch or less than a four-pack of local craft beer. Once per month. Yes, my vision for my community’s future makes it so that savings is not worth it.
We do not doubt your data. The data set is not yet complete – we have not received the data on social, emotional and economic impacts. Give me some data about how closing schools increases student outcomes, resiliency and emotional intelligence and that might fit in to my vision better. Show me the new programs that will materialize and I might start to get excited. Explain to me how consolidation will allow my community to grow and thrive in the future. I hold a vision, and the data on marginal savings does not convince me to change it.
No matter where you live, closing any of our schools is going to impact your community. It is going to impact our ability to pursue our vision for our future. We might have different visions and that is OK. But I ask everyone to get clear on their own and think critically about the decisions before us and how they fit in to the future you envision.
Lisa Mason lives in Moretown, Vermont.
