There are a great deal of faulty assumptions and misinformation regarding the proposed combined new elementary school at the Doyon site.
Here’s the truth: Absolutely nothing has been decided, and we the taxpayers will have our say in the spring.
There remains a steep road ahead for proponents of the new school. A two-thirds’ vote is needed at the next town meeting to even make it to the ballot box.
I remain convinced that the decision to use significant town resources and taxpayer money towards building a giant brand new combined elementary school outside of the centrally located town center is a massive mistake, both for the children of the community and the town of Ipswich itself.
Don’t forget, at the last spring town meeting the voters rejected further funding this project.
But the school committee went ahead and ignored that vote. They took funds from the technology fund — money that was supposed to be used for children’s education — to pay for the study that the voters had rejected.
This roundabout way to fund the feasibility study is a travesty of democracy.
Going forward, please know that we have a choice. Considering the rather grim budget forecasts for our schools, it is my belief that we should rather be thinking about how to retain our teachers, dynamic curriculum, and two beloved neighborhood schools.
Tearing down a long-treasured downtown school and changing how we educate all elementary children, just so we can have a shiny new building, is not the only choice.
A vote against this new school is actually a vote for community and for a better education for all our children.