Dear Editor:

In my 17 years of working at Boothbay Region Elementary School, I have moved around to four different classrooms. At this point, three out of four classrooms that I worked in have leaking problems and the fourth classroom was the one hit hardest by the flood last year. Most of these leaks result in water coming down our interior walls and ruining classroom materials, posters, paperwork, and student work. Other leaks are coming from windows or are because of the lack of insulation and antiquated pipes. These leaks are just some of the problems our school faces.

I’m concerned that the group of people who are petitioning for “another option” and claiming that our school can be fixed for $10M have not been truthful to our voters. They are basing their figure off a 2021 building conditions report that would simply bring the building back to its original 1977 state. And we all know that construction costs have gone up greatly from 2021. This group also admitted at a recent community forum that they actually don’t have a plan for how to phase out the construction so that students wouldn’t be displaced and they also don’t know the exact amount of money it would take because they “aren’t experts.”  So let’s listen to the ones who are the experts and have a very detailed plan … our Trustees, who have been working tirelessly on these issues for the past five years and know the ins and outs of that school better than anyone. Every single Trustee supports a Yes vote on the April 24 referendum. The other experts are the building architects who design and renovate schools for a living and understand the needs of learners in today’s world.

I think we can all agree that schools are the heart of any community. Please vote yes on April 24 and give our students and staff a safe, updated building with enough space to address today’s academic and social-emotional needs.

Kate Rice

Boothbay Harbor