Feels Burnham School is 'worth fighting for'

Published 4:10 pm, Wednesday, April 9, 2014

To the Editor:

As many of you know, a referendum is coming soon to Region 12, asking if we'd like to build a consolidated school building on the Shepaug Valley Middle/High School campus costing $40 million-plus, with the corollary of Bridgewater, Roxbury and Washington closing their elementary schools.

The plan must be approved by all three towns, but it seems likely Bridgewater is poised to vote it down.

So Bridgewater is being cast as the party-pooper by those who wish to consolidate.

I am, proudly, one of those who is fighting to see Burnham kept open. It couldn't be more simple -- Burnham is a top-ranking school that's worth fighting for and losing it would be bad for our town. Period.

I completely understand our region has problems it needs to address. But when our enrollment is going down, I don't think a new $40 million school building is the answer.

There can and should be other options to consider, especially when you need all three towns' approval to move forward.

Bridgewater would ultimately lose, and a plan that might benefit others but would be harmful to Bridgewater will never garner my support.

In answer to the constructive criticism that's been so kindly offered to Burnham supporters, I would say the following: I don't want to keep Burnham for mere convenience; I want to keep it because it's a fantastic school that is a great asset to our town.

I don't want to keep Burnham because I'm "attached to a building; it's no architectural wonder.

And I certainly don't wish to keep it because I don't care about the quality of my kids' education; on the contrary, we all know Burnham is providing a stellar education, and apparently we didn't need a shiny, new building in order to provide that.

Equating having a new building with the quality of the education provided inside of it is a particularly specious argument.

If I didn't care about the quality of education I would not be fighting to hang on to one of the best schools in the state. Wouldn't you fight to keep one of the best schools in the state?

I have had the good fortune of being able to work a great deal with Burnham's PTO and am now its current president.

This has allowed me to see up close what a special place Burnham is, as well as the wonderful interactions that go on between our students and townspeople.

This is the result of a wonderful staff, a gem of a principal, involved parents and, of course, our great kids.

Who knows what all the ingredients are that make a school great? Some are concrete, some intangible.

I would venture to say some educators spend their whole career hoping to work in a school like Burnham and never get the chance.

I will not apologize for loving, valuing and fighting for this school.

I completely understand there are serious issues facing our region and I don't have all the answers.

But I know my town, I know Burnham, and I do have a say with my vote. I am being asked if I'd be willing to give up our school and my answer is no.

On April 30, I will look to the region's leaders to start working on a plan for our region that would include keeping the Burnham school open, working its magic on Main Street South in Bridgewater, where it belongs.

Bridget McKenney

Bridgewater