– John Leahy
Background Introduction:
New York State, like many states, is going along with the current trend in education policy to close outlying rural schools in a centralization initiative. The idea is to be fiscally more efficient by providing services for all at fewer locations. Children are brought by bus on longer commutes to one central location in the school district, rather than maintaining satellite local schools in their own communities where the commuting time for the children is shorter as they attend school in the town or village where they live. The policy, particularly in the economic climate of year 2010, has caused a lot of debate and controversy as government bodies struggle to achieve more with smaller resources and local populations struggle to protect the quality of life in their communities. Often, local school boards in New York State are attempting to follow the State Commissioner’s directive irregardless of negative impacts on other aspects of community life or economics. This is the background framework for this recent letter to the editors at the Eastwick Press in Eastern Rensselaer County.
Congratulations to Charlotte Gregory and the BC School Board!
It was with great joy that I read the letter from Charlotte Gregory today announcing the closure of the Grafton Elementary School. The Board had a meeting last night, or should I say a “workshop”? Ha! That Board is so clever! If it is only a workshop and not a meeting, they aren’t obliged to follow the laws pertaining to meetings, like making public announcements to be open to the public. Or are they? Good question. I sure hope legalities were not twisted out of recognition. Was the Eastwick Press ever informed about the “workshop”?
In any case, back to celebration! Finally we can take those students out of a building in Grafton and put them into trailers in Berlin where they belong. The overwhelming common sense of this initiative can not be denied. Why on earth would any parent want their child educated in a building when we can have nice new “modular units” instead. The Berlin Central School District is savvy and knows how much we love our trailers up here in Grafton. The faster we get our kids out of that nasty building and into a modular unit, the better! What better way to illustrate the future to our children than getting them accustomed to life in a trailer right from the get go. I applaud the Board and Ms. Charlotte Gregory and I am sure this decision to improve the educational facilities for our children will not be forgotten in Grafton. Hail to the Chief and her merry band! We Grafton residents look forward to and embrace the future of our children finally having the rare opportunity to be educated in a trailer.
