The worthiest enemy of authoritarianism is authority. But who are the authoritative heroes available to us, and to the younger generations in particular? Who speaks a truth that everyone can get behind?
In their letter, Gene Kalish and Anne Hutchinson write: "Just as he has dedicated himself to his family and their education, we believe that he will dedicate himself to the betterment of the school district."
In her letter, Leigh Davis, a member of the Great Barrington Finance Committee, notes: "One of the best and most compelling ways to attract young parents to come to or stay in Berkshire County is to have schools that are attractive and desirable for their kids to attend."
The teachers write: "We believe that the proposed renovation will dramatically improve the building's use as an educational tool, both in design and function, for the next 50+ years. The renovated MMRHS will create a safe and healthy learning environment."
In her letter, Sharon Gregory claims that "strategic resource planning and belt tightening" are preferable to renovation of the high school, and that "programmatic and facilities duplication has not been addressed."
In his letter, architect Housatonic Diego Gutierrez defends the 5-year process through which the Monument Mountain Regional High School renovation project was developed.
In her letter, Patricia Ryan states: "Many of us are frugal New Englanders trying to take care of ourselves as best we can. We repair our homes as needed. We make do."
Jon Piasecki of West Stockbridge writes: "The claim that some random person can design it better than the thoughtful professionals who have worked for years on this renovation is a lie. The claim that it will be cheaper to do nothing and let the school rot is a lie."
In his letter, Rich Bradway writes: "After reviewing dozens of potential project scenarios, the School Committee came up with one project that would encompass updates to the building in all areas -- structure, utilities, security, safety and education."
In his letter to the editor, Richard Coons, chairman of the Monument Mountain Regional High School renovation project explains the facts about the 5-year process to develop a satisfactory renovation plan, and why it should be approved by voters on November 4.
In her Letter to the Editor, Rebecca Gold states: "This renovation project is not about creating a state-of-the-art facility; it’s about bringing the building up to the standard our children already have in the other two schools."
Most of the costs of the renovation plan are actually repair and code-upgrade costs. No realistic scenario can avoid paying the principal costs of sustaining that building, sooner or later. in the meantime that building is going to need work, probably starting with that expensive roof. Postponing decisions about facilities ... means educating a generation of students in a decaying building.
In her letter urging support for the proposed Monument Mountain High School renovation Corey Sprague of Stockbridge argues: "We are talking about making serious and significant upgrades to a school and education system that has served our community well and is now showing its age."
In the actual world we live in with the actual options before us, there is no better option available than the one on the ballot. That is true financially (for which we have facts and numbers) and educationally (for which I am trusting the educators, administrators and community volunteers who worked on the plan for the past eight years).
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