Longmeadow, the most affluent community in Western Massachusetts and the home to many professional and educated residents, takes pride in an excellent public school system. Unfortunately for years the town government has failed to address the conditions of our two aging middle schools, Glenbrook and Williams Middle, which are in deplorable and outdated condition with costly repairs and maintenance.
The reality is the town only needs one new state-of-the-art middle school for the less than 700 students now attending Glenbrook and Williams.
The town of Longmeadow, with 16,000 residents, is essentially built out and the state is not going to approve two new middle schools.
A suitable location for a new middle school would be the athletic fields at the current Williams Middle School that is centrally located in the town and would provide an educational benefit being close to Longmeadow High School. This can provide a cooperative learning experience for both students and teachers. Teachers can take measures to collaborate across the district to ensure curriculum and expectations are aligned and provide middle schoolers for high school transitions.
The Glenbrook property not being the choice for a new school provides an excellent opportunity for real estate development in a residential neighborhood providing the town with additional tax revenue.
Fran Bogdanowicz
Longmeadow
