Oppose the Reconfiguration of our Elementary Schools

The proposed budget for the Wareham Public Schools, fiscal year 2015, contains some changes that have many parents extremely concerned.

One issue stands above the rest, the reconfiguration of our elementary schools. Students, PreK-1st grade would attend Minot Forest, while student in 2nd through 4th would attend Decas.

Our primary concern is the effect that this change would have on our children. Some children will be sent off to a different school, only to be sent to yet another school the following year.

I would expect that to cause stress for a lot of kids. All of the shuffling around is not fair to them. Quite a few parents drive their children to school because they do not feel comfortable putting them on the buses, for good reasons.

It would be impossible to get two children in the same family to two schools on opposite ends of town at the same time. The latter is also an issue when school is dismissed. For children that take the bus, they will surely be spending a lot more time on the bus. Another great concern, condensing students, once again, into already crowded schools.

In addition, cutting sixteen positions, some of which must be teachers and assistants, will increase class sizes, yet again. Wareham needs to realize that whether you have a child in the school system or not, a poor school system devalues property and the town in general.