Editor’s note: Town Meeting Warrant Articles 30 and 31 are explained in this letter to the editor by School Committee chair Jennifer Glass.
To the editor:
I am concerned that many residents of Lincoln are unaware that the vote to determine how Lincoln will address the needs of its school building will take place on March 28. If those of us who believe it important to do more for our school building than just fix the most urgently needed repairs don’t show up at Town Meeting and vote “yes” on Articles 30 and 31, those improvements won’t happen.
It has been a long, frustrating two years of seemingly endless conversations since the town failed to pass the MSBA-assisted school building project. Hopefully, those conversations have led us to a consensus in town that we are committed to both preserving the open feel of our campus and bringing our school building into the 21st century so that our district’s educational vision can succeed because of the learning environment, not despite it.
Article 30 asks us to support a “feasibility study.” Rest assured, this does not refer to conducting another preliminary study into the needs of the building. A “yes” vote for Article 30 means that as a town, we would like to hire someone to develop plans that will include both urgently needed repairs and spaces that enhance our children’s education. If we pass Article 30, there will be two more votes in the future before we begin construction—one to choose a final design and one to appropriate the funds.
Our best chance for getting the maximum educational enhancements to the building for the tax dollars we spend would be if we could partner with the MSBA again. The school committee is asking us to clearly state our desire for MSBA participation by voting “yes” on Article 31.
I have two children in middle school and they will both be in high school before this project is complete. My family will not benefit from the additional taxes we will have to pay to renovate the school, but I believe the town should vote “yes” on Article 30. As a resident of Lincoln, I feel an obligation to ensure that our school is of the highest possible quality—for the children of our community who will attend it, for the seniors and others who may need to sell their homes and deserve the highest value for them, and to attract new families who share our values on the importance of a strong education.
Maggy Pietropaolo
2 Underwood Circle
Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to news@lincolnsquirrel.com. Letters must be about a Lincoln-specific topic, will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.