Hopes Monticello school issue isn’t dead

To the editor:
To Superintendent Hammer and School Board President Fred Grant, in my mind, you are strongly missing the point when you portray the budget being voted down as a monetary issue. As one of a substantial number of Monticello voters who voted to “keep the school open,” I knowingly did so understanding that my taxes would probably increase. Many of us here did so without children or grandchildren in the school because we see the school closing as sentencing our town to a slow death.
Who is going to move into a town without a school for their young children to attend? Where are the current children and parents going to meet for community activities? How are 4-year-olds going to weather round-trip bus rides that are possibly longer than their classroom time?
Closing the Monticello school wasn’t a democratic issue to many here. Teachers were talking about reassignments and packing long before voters were asked to vote on the issue. The district quoted “money amounts” seemed to be random and used as scare tactics. Compared to other areas of the district, Monticello seemed to be asked to disproportionately shoulder the financial burden of lowering the budget. Parents from Littleton who chose to bring their children to Monticello because of the small class sizes and the school’s reputation weren’t allowed to vote on the school referendum. Even the way the referendum was worded strongly suggested the desired outcome.
I strongly feel we didn’t, haven’t and won’t vote down “education!” Rather, conversely, we strongly believe in education and our community. We are very proud of our students and our “local” school.
P.S. People say the closing of the school is over and done and we need to move on. Until there is a democratically approved budget, I’m hoping there is still room for a “change of heart.”
Laurice Grass-Bell
Monticello