Dear Members of the Select Board:
We, the undersigned Driscoll school parents, Town Meeting Members, Brookline voters, and concerned citizens, wish to express our support for the 4-section Driscoll school project, and urge the Select Board to take steps to ensure the project is continued and that its Fall '22 opening not be delayed.
Although question 1 was rejected in the vote on May 7, 2019, it was a “bundled” vote, limiting voters to saying “Yes” to both Driscoll and Baldwin or “No” to both Driscoll and Baldwin. Debate on the question was focused on the flaws of the Baldwin project and the costs of the combined projects. Question 1 was rejected by voters who had no option to approve the Driscoll plan apart from approval of the Baldwin plan.
The expansion of the Driscoll School from 3 sections to 4 will add 185 student seats by Fall '22, and the renovation of the physical plant of Driscoll is badly needed. This is an important first step toward addressing enrollment needs in our town, along with the continuation of the MSBA process to add seats as part of the Pierce School renovation.
We urge the following steps be taken:
1. A new override election be scheduled before the Special Town Meeting in Fall 2019 [1] with an unbundled debt exclusion question for the 4-section Driscoll school,
2. Unspent funds designated for schematic design at Driscoll be immediately released so that the Fall '22 opening of the 4-section Driscoll school is not jeopardized, with additional transfers from the reserve fund or elsewhere as needed, and
3. The Select Board recommend favorable action on the Driscoll budget motion at the May 21, 2019 Town Meeting.
Respectfully,
C. Scott Ananian <
brookline@cscott.net>
Brookline Town Meeting Member Precinct 10 and Driscoll KS dad,
and the undersigned.
[1] On May 19, 2019 this date in the open letter was changed to match the resolution text formally submitted for Town Meeting. For signatures added before that date, the letter specified Sept 15, 2019 as the deadline. No other changes to the letter have been made.
