Wednesday,
March 5, 2014 3:05 AM EST
The situation in the Region 12 school district has me frightened and furious.
My husband and I moved to Bridgewater five years ago because, like everyone
else, we fell in love with the town: a rural setting with excellent town
events, proximity to Lake Lillinonah and lots of hiking trails. As a newer
couple, both teachers, we also were pleased at how close and respectable the
Burnham School is. We have two young children and may soon have to decide
whether to stand by while our children become increasingly isolated as their
peers move away and a round-trip drive to the school for activities takes more
than an hour; or move away and face financial ruin since we stretched ourselves
to move to this dream community, and certainly won't be getting back what we paid.
In fact, the rumors in our neighborhood are that nearby properties on the
market stopped getting interest as soon as the school situation hit the papers.
I'm hoping we won't need to make this decision, and the tight-knit community
we've fallen in love with won't vote to squeeze us, and young families like us,
out of its circle. The sad fact is that if we'd known this was a possibility,
we never would have moved here. Do you really think other families won't come
to the same conclusion?
Building
a consolidated school will only worsen the problem. Taxpayers will pay millions
for a school they can’t fill, as many families in Bridgewater and Roxbury start
to move away. The ones left behind will find their taxes significantly higher
and their property values almost certainly lower; apparently, the mere threat
may have already have affected some sales. Please, citizens of Region 12, do
not vote for consolidation.
Amanda
Telford
Bridgewater
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