This letter is in support of the Longmeadow Middle School project and a vote of “yes” at the Special Town Meeting on Sept. 9 at Longmeadow High School.
For the last couple of years and throughout the planning phases of the new joint middle school project, there has been a concerted effort to stop this project from a small group of abutters who oppose this project. They have been loud and vocal as to the issues that this project would bring, first focusing on traffic concerns on Williams Street and now shifting to a focus on how losing a neighborhood school would reduce property values in the Wolf Swamp/Glenbrook area. What they seem to only focus on is how this new joint middle school would negatively impact the citizens of Longmeadow, never how it would benefit those that truly impacted by the project: the students.
We have a daughter that currently attends Glenbrook MS, and like so many parents who have kids who have attended either Glenbrook or Williams, we recognize the need for our middle schools to be updated. This should not be disputed. They have exceeded their useful lives, there are safety concerns at both schools, and Glenbrook can’t even offer proper air circulation in their classrooms. Remodeling both Glenbrook and Williams would keep two neighborhood schools, as the S.O.M.S Ballot Question Committee points out, but at what cost? The Middle School Building Committee has done the work for us and is presenting the town with the best option for taxpayers and, most importantly, the students.
Remodeling would displace the students during the construction phase of the project, putting them in modular classrooms while the work is being completed, and frankly would not achieve any of the benefits of collaboration that would be accomplished by having one middle school in town. Taxpayers would end up footing a larger portion of the construction costs, as state reimbursements would be limited regarding certain aspects of the projects.
Will our taxes go up if we build a new school? Yes, but so will the quality of our town’s educational experience and, in turn, overall property values. We moved to Longmeadow five years ago and have grown to love this town. Our children have had a wonderful experience being educated in Longmeadow Public Schools, and we are glad that the town and its voters recognized that a strong public education benefits everyone in the community.
How do we truly save our middle schools in town and work together for the best interest of our Longmeadow community? We move forward, approve the joint middle school project, and work together for the best interests of our students. Give them a new, updated, and upgraded middle school experience that fosters collaboration and brings our town’s educational experience into the next decade and beyond.
Adam Vincent and Dr. Meaghan Delaney, MD
Longmeadow
