Nothing has changed, just the name

Nothing has changed, only the name

Letter to the Editor:

Frank Adams, Valerie Friedman's partner from Washington wrote a letter about Green Schools that I find to be just another tactical angle on how to push their personal agenda of consolidation into Region 12.

First, it was Consolidate for Better Education, then Straight Talk for Tax Payers, and then Shepaug Elementary School Advocates, and now we are looking at what, Region 12 Green School Advocates?

It's all the same people twisting the truth to convince the public to support consolidation. Nothing has changed, just their name.

I agree that we should all have grecn schools and that having green doesn't mean it has to cost more.

Many towns across the country are converting their current buildings to green standards and it would make sense that we make every effort when we renovate our local schools to do so.

It's funny how Mr. Adams states we should get over our small schools to do what is best for our children.

I do have children in Region 12 and I know what is best for them.

It's our small school in the center of our town that should be renovated green.

TheWillow School I am sure is a good role model, so let's use it and see what we can do with what we have.

Building a new 72.000square-foot building when you already have facilities seems
wasteful in and of itself. At the same time, harming wetlands to teach children a lesson seems very contradicting.

Our PTO raises tens of thousands of dollars each year to provide the enrichment programs that meet those needs which give them the best education. We already stand at the top of our class in statewide schools.

Mr. Adam stated, "instead of antiquated buildings stuck in the middle of town, kids and teachers learn in an environment which interacts daily with nature."

Well, my children interact with nature on a daily basis where we live. They run free in the meadow, play in the streams examining the water and plant life and watch eagles soar over the Shepaug.

We live in a magical land in Region .1 2, no need to spend tax dollars recreating it.
When I send my elementary children off to school cach day, I expect they will spend their day learning the fundamental skills of reading, writing and arithmetic.

I want my children to bc proficient readers and mathematical wizards so that when they go to middle school they can begin to apply all of their skills. What they discovered in nature, what they read in a book and what they learned at an environmental enrichment program provided by the PTO and not by tax dollars.

I also agree with Mr. Adams, we should have a win-win situation for our kids and the taxpayers. But having a few people from one large town trying to manipulate and distort the truth of consolidation and what it means to go green will never bring us to the finish line.

It's not shame on Region 12 for not looking into green; it's shame on everyone involved who if these schools had been properly cared for we wouldn't be in this situation.

As Mr. Adams states, "Region 12 deserve better than what is being proposed."

I agree, so stop shoving consolidation down our throats and let's work together to rebuild our schools to be green friendly environments within the center of our towns and set our own example of what we can do with what we already have and recycle, that would be a green thing to do.

Jen Iannucci
Bridgewater