To the Editor;
The Mattapoisett Public Schools serve 439 of our town’s children each day– children with a wide range of strengths, needs and hopes. They are vibrant and empirically successful hubs of our community, far from the “money pits” on a “feeding frenzy” portrayed by the Finance Committee during the budget process.
The School Committee’s budget poses a modest 1.7% increase while inflation has risen to roughly 7%, which is a testament to the School Committee’s work to responsibly allocate taxpayer funds. Investing in our schools is a Mattapoisett tradition that has long paid dividends to all taxpayers in the form of high property values; people perceive our town as a desirable place to live in part because of the success of our schools.
After certifying nearly two million dollars in free cash last fall and setting our property tax rate comfortably below our levy limit for consecutive years, it’s clear that Mattapoisett can continue fiscally responsible leadership without making cuts to schools.
The concern about the cost of maintaining two elementary schools is a prudent one, and that debate belongs outside of the budget process. None of our current educators or children had any say in a long-ago decision to support two campuses, but they would certainly be the ones bearing the impact of cuts.
We ask that the voters of Mattapoisett maintain their tradition of supporting our excellent public schools and vote for the budget that the School Committee recommends by attending Town Meeting on May 9.
Signed,
Sara Jacobsen, Mattapoisett Educators Association
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