Vote “yes” on Question 2
To the editor:
As an educator, parent and student, I do not approve of decisions regarding education that are based entirely on (at times erroneously understood) monetary reasons. I would ask that citizens not blindly follow the “no” vote recommended by school committee.
For those educators whose mission in life is that there be a place for every child to learn and succeed, we have seen charter schools save the intellectual and emotional lives of many learners, as well as raise the standard of education in existing public schools.
It has been my experience as a parent and teacher in three states that charter schools can vastly increase chances of a superior education for all kinds of learners. The only detriment to the existing public school that I have seen over the course of 23 years is, at times, that the best and the brightest students often leave their existing public school for what can often be a more diverse and rigorous academic life in a charter, once parents realize the astonishing breadth, depth, and range of knowledge to which a charter school is committing its students.
Charter schools are different from each other and not easy to compare, just as a current public school in an affluent community is quite different from an urban school in a financially poor area. For this reason, rather than make generalizations about all schools, I would urge voters to educate themselves thoroughly on this issue as Ted Charrette has suggested. Please take the time to fully understand why an award winning teacher like Ted is bringing this to your attention.
I cannot say I have ever won an award for teaching, but the well-being and integrity of our American school system and the future of your children is a subject about which I am passionate. Vote “yes” to ensure we put the academic and personal growth of every student in Massachusetts ahead of any other concern. And because it is time to begin making decisions from a place of courage rather than fear.
Sincerely,
Isabella Nebel
1 Millstone Lane
Vote “no” on Question 2
To the editor:
I am no fan of the “Common Core” curriculum, and feel that we have yet to develop adequate reforms to ensure our schools remain competitive and beneficial, especially for students who are less privileged (by virtue of economics, race, native language, etc).
That being said, I agree with the School Committee’s letter to the editor in the Lincoln Squirrel: Question #2, if passed, would pull money away from our public schools and there would be a worrisome lack of accountability for the use of that money. This is deeply concerning.
As I see it, Question #2, even though well-intended, is not a recipe for reform but an abandonment of our responsibility to ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity for a good education—so I will be voting “no” on Question #2.
Sincerely,
Allen Vander Meulen III
30 Beaver Pond Rd.
Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters 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.
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