To the editor:
As the father of a student at Woodbury Elementary School, I want to advocate for Lakeview to remain open. Why do I care about Lakeview since my daughter attends a different OSSU school? I care because I see the value of our varied schools in our district. Our daughters and sons receive such a benefit from the opportunity to learn at Lakeview, Woodbury, and Hardwick. Parents and children get to choose what school fits best for them.
Those in favor of closing Lakeview cite a savings of $100,000 a year. While this is a real reduction, when divided among all households, it ends up being $100 a family. This equals one meal out on the town for a family of four. It is the cost of eight movie tickets. It is the cost of four four-packs of expensive beer. My point is that we can choose to go out to dinner one more time a year or have a valued school remain active, teaching our children, and being the anchor on a community.
Besides that, population figures go up and down. A few years ago, Woodbury had small numbers. Maybe one day it will be Hardwick. Right now, it is Lakeview. But rather than closing a school because of today’s situation, we should keep our schools vibrant and strong, regardless of their numbers. Otherwise, maybe we’ll want to shut down Woodbury next. And then Hardwick. And we’ll be asked to bus our children to Morrisville and Montpelier.
Rather than try to close one of our valued schools, let’s work to make our great school district even stronger. Let’s work together to keep all of our schools great.
Sean Prentiss
Woodbury
