Letters to the Editor

Our parents and grandparents made it possible for us to get an excellent education. I believe we must do the same for our children. This is the time for Maynard to have a new high school. I urge you to go to the polls on March 23^rd and vote yes to the new school. Please tell the Massachusetts School Building Association that the citizens of Maynard agree that a new school is needed to provide our children a safe and outstanding education and we appreciate the large contribution from the state toward this goal.

-      Bonnie Winokar, Maynard

Support for Maynard School Building Program

We’re writing to express our support and to offer encouragement to members of our community who have been working with the Maynard School administration and the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) to find a solution to the numerous challenges presented by the condition of our current high school building.  Built in 1962, this facility has served the Town of Maynard for many years.  As described in the recent “Maynard High School Feasibility Study,” by Tappe Associates, the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems of this building are now all at the end of their useful lives and require complete upgrades.  The school administration has determined that the building no longer supports current and future educational standards; and to underscore the serious nature of deficiencies, the New England Association of Schools & Colleges (NEASC) has placed the accreditation of our high school on probationary status, largely due to the condition of the physical plant.  It is evident from the study, as well as from newspaper articles describing the exploration of alternatives, that the prospect of either constructing a new school or extensively renovating and adding on to the existing facility is both imminent and unavoidable.  In order to continue to offer public education at the high school level within Maynard then, an investment will need to be made.  The positive aspect of this story is that by maintaining our partnership with MSBA, significant state funding may be made available to share in the cost of this essential project.  Community acceptance of this grant program is required however.  Therefore we urge all residents of Maynard to support the school building option by attending the Special Town Meeting on Tuesday, February 9th, 7 PM at the Fowler School and vote YES for the next phase of the solution – approximately $700,000 for the schematic design of the project. 

Sincerely,

-      Mark and Loretta Wesley

I am a homeowner in Maynard with no children and I’m voting “YES” for a new High School on March 23rd.  After 48+ years, the current Maynard High School building is feasibly beyond repair from an economic standpoint.  Without a new school, the town of Maynard will lose its accreditation as mandated by the NEASC.  Failing to meet accreditation would mean that the students attending the school would lose their competitive edge for acceptance to colleges vs. other students that do come from accredited schools.  There’s never a good time to spend money and have our taxes raised.  I’m struggling like everyone else, but we need this vote to get the 53% funding from the state for a new school.  If we don’t vote “YES” the money will be allocated to another town. Do you want the money to go to them?  The alternative is … we lose accreditation, students, town residents, property value, and our community!  I’m proud of this town and voting “YES” will go a long way for all of us to continue being proud to live in Maynard. This is “Our Moment” … Let’s take advantage of it!

School the Best Choice

My wife and I moved to Maynard a year ago. We spent almost a year looking for the right community with all of the attributes we desired. Maynard had it all. We found it to be a tight knit community that was perfect for starting a family. I have to say though, that selfishly, I was attracted to the fact that I viewed Maynard as a Town on the verge of a boom. I saw a new Middle School, Library, and Police Station. I was aware of plans in the works for a Fire Station and High School.

I identified that there was a great deal of commercial property available and, based on proximity to Boston, this would lead to commercial growth and increased town revenue. The fact that Maynard had been focusing on infrastructure and educational quality was very attractive to me.

I would venture a guess to say that we are a prototypical young couple. That said, if we found Maynard attractive for the aforementioned reasons, many other young couples will as well. However, if the High School vote fails Feb. 9 this would prove detrimental to Maynard’s growth potential.

I have a great deal of experience in the area of construction and renovation of schools. I am the Facilities and Operations Supervisor for the City of Newton. I have assisted in the commissioning of over a million square feet of schools, including two High Schools.

I have reviewed the Tappe Associates, MSBA, and School Building Committee reports. I have examined the current condition report of the High School. The cost estimates show that a renovation will cost about $500,000.00 less than new construction. I can comfortably say that there are substantially more unexpected expenses that result in a renovation, as compared to new construction. That difference in cost would disappear almost immediately. There is only one logical option in my opinion, and that is to build a new High School.

We have no children, and as a young couple starting out we don’t want to pay more in taxes, so I am not biased in any way. However, for the good of the community we live in, and for the future of Maynard, I ask that residents vote yes on Feb 9

-      Josh Morse, Maynard

School Project Responsible Choice

I am writing this letter as both a fiscally responsible citizen of the Town of Maynard and as the parent of three young children that will soon be attending the public schools in Maynard.  

On Tuesday, Feb. 9, Maynard is faced with a very important vote that will affect both the educational landscape and the attractiveness of Maynard to people who may be looking to move to our community in the future.   A community that does not have an accredited high school is not attractive to outsiders; it will also drive down the value of property throughout the town, which does not benefit any of us.

As a town, we have been very busy improving infrastructure since 2004. We have seen the construction of a beautiful new library and a new state of the art police station. In addition to the new high school we are also faced with the upgrade or replacement of the fire facilities.  Despite the fact that these projects have not come at an easy financial time for any of us, all of these improvements, past and future, are vital to the health of our community.

There is little question of the need for a new high school facility and we should take advantage of both the available funding that the Massachusetts School Building Authority is willing to provide (as such funding will not be available to us again) and the fact that such a project will cost less in the current economic situation than in the future when the economy is in a healthy state.   

Please consider a vote in support of the funding for the MSBA required studies on Tuesday, Feb. 9, 7 p.m. at the Fowler School, Tiger Drive. Let’s put OUR state tax dollars to work for OUR TOWN today

-      Mark Stachowicz, Maynard

My name is Jerry Culbert; I’m a resident of Maynard, an engineer, and chairman of the School Building Committee. 

I have studied the Maynard High School facility since spring 2006 and have developed a deep understanding of its significant deficiencies. First, critical systems such as heating and ventilation, electrical, and plumbing have all exceeded their useful life. Second, the exterior walls, windows, doors and roof should be substantially repaired or replaced. 

While many in Maynard were hoping to regionalize the high school with another school district with the intent of defraying costs, our neighboring communities found neither good reasons nor incentives to join Maynard.   

A Special Town Meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 11, in the Fowler School. I urge you to attend the meeting to vote “yes” to allow Maynard to hold an election in early 2010 to raise approximately $800,000 to design and estimate the costs of solving the facilities issues at Maynard High School. If the vote passes, a substantial amount of these costs will be reimbursed by the state.

A “no” vote will put the school’s accreditation at risk. Keep in mind that the New England Association of Schools and Colleges has placed Maynard High School on probation for not meeting present day standards for teaching and learning due specifically to the condition of the facility. If our accreditation were lost, Maynard would be viewed as a less desirable place to live, and that would unfortunately lead to lower property values.  Additionally, a “no” vote would place us at risk of losing future state funding for a solution. 

If we vote not to take advantage of this timely opportunity to receive reimbursement from the Massachusetts State Building Authority (MSBA), Maynard will still have to invest significant funds in our current high school to make it a viable educational facility for our students, with the full funding to come from Maynard taxpayers. Even with that investment, we would be at risk of losing accreditation based on the physical constraints of the current building. The School Facilities Committee has worked very hard over the past three years with its consultants and the MSBA to determine the best and most fiscally responsible solution for our school system.

Please join me in voting to invest in our town by ensuring that we offer our students the best possible educational facilities.

-      Jerry Culbert, Chairman of the School Building Committee 

Vote yes on High School

On Monday, Jan. 11, the voters of Maynard have an opportunity to make an important decision to benefit our schools and ultimately the well being of our town. For the past year, the school building committee has been working in conjunction with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) studying various options to build, add or renovate the high school building. At the special Town Meeting on Jan. 11, the community votes to fund the schematic design of the preferred alternative approved by MSBA. Though the exact costs are not known as of now; approximately half of the amount will be funded by the MSBA.

Currently, Maynard High School has probation status for accreditation by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. This is entirely to do with facilities issues. (Maynard High School has never been on probation for curriculum or academic issues.) The current school building has significant systemic deficiencies including heating, ventilation, plumbing and electricity. Each year, in order to not lose accreditation, short term, lower cost, portable enhancements have been made to the current building. These projects, such as upgrading the library so that it meets Mass School Library Standards, have helped but they are not enough for the long term. It is vital for the student population and our property values to not allow Maynard High School to lose accreditation. We have the opportunity now to act and be partially funded by the MSBA. 

Please join us at the special Town Meeting on Monday, Jan 11 at 7 p.m. at the Fowler School and vote “Yes” for the warrant article. It is important that everyone attends the Town Meeting. With that in mind, babysitting will be available that night at the Fowler School.   Thank you for your time and consideration.

-      Joanne and Mike Tummino, Maynard

Another reason to vote yes

My name is John Bresnahan. I am a resident of Maynard and I would like to take this opportunity to respond to Mr. Culbert’s comments in last week’s Beacon–Villager.

I share Mr. Colbert’s view that Maynard residents should vote YES at the Special Town Meeting on Jan. 11 to support raising the necessary funds to solve the facilities issue at Maynard High School. However, I approach this important decision from a different perspective. I have worked in educational administration at a small liberal arts college for many years and I am also an adjunct faculty member at a large university. I teach entry level courses to college freshman and I advise students who experience academic difficulty and those who experience academic success.

I know first-hand the critical importance of providing high school students with a strong educational foundation. Without a new building, Maynard High School is in jeopardy of losing its accreditation. In today’s competitive world, how can we send our youth off to college or into the job market without a diploma from an accredited high school? We must support this new funding in order to give the graduates of our town’s schools every possible advantage.

In addition, strong schools attract families who in turn contribute to a better quality of life for all its citizens. Maynard schools are the heartbeat of our community. Let’s continue the success story!

Vote YES on Jan. 11 and we will send a clear message to the state that Maynard is ready to move forward to improve our high school.

-       John Bresnahan, Maynard.

To the editor:

On January 11, 2010, the residents of Maynard will have the opportunity to attend a Special Town Meeting.  Citizens will vote to see if the town will be allowed to take the next step to secure the educational future for our town’s children. Several years ago the accrediting organization of secondary schools, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), placed Maynard High School on probation because the facility did not meet educational standards necessary for providing an adequate education for students.  

Maynard must remedy the facility issues in order to maintain accreditation.  Citizens in all towns expect that their high school will be accredited.  Students need to graduate from an accredited high school in order to be in the best position for college acceptance.  A town with an unaccredited high school becomes less attractive to live in.  Property values decrease and residents may choose to send their children to schools in other towns, resulting in loss of Maynard’s state education funding.

In response to the probation status of MHS’s accreditation, the town appointed a School Building Committee. The members of the committee, working with the consulting firm of Tappe Associates, did a comprehensive facilities study and made recommendations with alternative solutions to resolve these facilities issues cited by NEASC.  Possible solutions included renovating the existing structure, building an addition onto Fowler School to house a Middle/High School, building a new high school or regionalizing with nearby towns. There are challenges associated with each one of these choices. The School Building Committee and the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) have been working hard to identify the BEST choice for Maynard.

People who are serving on the School Building Committee represent a wide constituency of Maynard citizens. Some members of the committee have expertise in the areas of architecture, building systems and building trades.  Other members have financial expertise, and still others have a life-long perspective of the town with an understanding of our history and an understanding of the desires of many of our townspeople.  In short, the citizens of Maynard have been well represented in this process. 

A town meeting vote must support continued pursuit of the solution proposed by the Maynard School Building Committee for funding. Remember, the Maynard School Building Committee and the MSBA are seeking the most cost-effective alternative in the best interest of our town and the commonwealth in this challenging economy.  In order to maximize state funding reimbursement available, Maynard citizens must vote at the special town meeting to proceed toward the solution. Let’s not allow this opportunity to slip away!

I urge you to attend the Special Town Meeting on January 11, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. in the Fowler School. Vote “YES” to allow Maynard to take the next step in securing our children’s educational future.

-      Ann Pratt