Having been a resident of Concord for over 47 years and having two daughters go through Concord Public Schools, I am never surprised that the School Committee is tone-deaf to other needs in Concord.
According to a Select Board member, we need to spend $4 million dollars a year to bring our roads up to standards. But we only budget $2 million a year for roads, putting us in the hole $2 million every year. Additionally our long-term capital needs are estimated to be at least $100 million.
After town residents approved the $100+ million construction of the new Concord Middle School, the School Committee is now asking for another $2.3 million for bathrooms and a concession stand at the high school. The School Committee chair threatens that if we don’t build it now it will cost $4 million in the future: “I do think delayed action on this is a detriment to the taxpayer. I don’t want to come back in two years from now with a $4 million building,” School Committee Chair Alexa Anderson told the group.
Here’s another idea – don’t come back and don’t build it. Face the fact that town residents have been more than generous, as we should be, in funding the schools that only serve 30+ percent of the total residents of Concord. Start talking about fiscal responsibility to all residents rather than say: “CCHS is the only school in the Dual County League without a permanent structure.”
David Hesel
Concord Greene
