Published 2:58 pm, Tuesday, September 3, 2013
To the Editor:
This fall, the towns of Bridgewater, Roxbury and Washington will be asked yet again to decide a topic that many of us had already thought was decided -- whether we should retain our local elementary schools or instead replace all three with a new consolidated school on the Shepaug campus in Washington.
Apparently the vote five years ago and lawsuit on the part of Bridgewater to stop this misguided plan was merely seen as a minor historical footnote to those who see consolidation as the Holy Grail of local education.
I strongly disagree with the notion that consolidation will offer our three towns any benefits.
As a parent, I am concerned about the concept of sending our youngest students two towns away for their education.
My daughters benefitted from attending school minutes from our home.
They thrived in the close-knit community that is present at the Burnham School.
As a homeowner, I am concerned about the effect closing the only school in our town will have on real estate values.
Would a family with children choose to move to Bridgewater or Roxbury if this were the case?
If this had been the case when we were choosing which town in the Greater Danbury area to move to, we would have looked elsewhere.
As a community member, I am concerned about the social and cultural effects removing our schools will have on the communities.
Will parades, library activities and social events continue with students attending school out of town?
Will our youngest town residents be missed?
Ask many of Bridgewater Senior Center members if they will miss the Thanksgiving celebration hosted by the children of the Burnham School.
As an educator, I am concerned about closing schools that are, by many measures, highly effective.
Connecticut Mastery Test scores that place us in the top echelon of the state are apparently trumped by our cramped "old-fashioned" elementary schools.
Study after study shows the kind of social-emotional support and individualized attention that small hometown schools offer is invaluable.
Shiny, new tiled hallways and state-of-the-art water fountains cannot replace the benefits our small elementary schools offer all our children.
As a Board of Education member, I am concerned about spending millions of dollars to build a new consolidated school at a time when our student population is declining.
I am also surprised those who decry the state of our elementary school forget just a few years ago the BOE spent hundreds of thousands of dollars upgrading the physical plants at all three schools.
Despite these concerns, I look forward to working with my fellow Board members, Dr. Cosentino, Region 12 staff, and community members once this plan is voted down -- hopefully for the last time.
Only then can we address the real problems in Region 12 -- a declining enrollment and a physical plant at Shepaug Middle/High School that needs to be upgraded.
After all, closing our excellent elementary schools may only exacerbate the problem of declining enrollment.
Bridgewater
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