Letter: ‘Without an override, our schools are in real trouble’

We are writing to express our support for the override that would maintain the high quality of our schools and ensure that our public safety officers have the resources they need to do their jobs. 

As the parents of two young school children, one in First Grade and the other only about to enter Kindergarten, we are frightened by the prospect of their education being cut down because of a lack of funding. Many residents have children who are already through school, or mostly there, and they already received the benefit of a sufficiently-funded education. We cannot turn our backs on those who are waiting in the wings. 

We have seen the detrimental compounding effect that Dr. Cummings illustrated when schools like ours don’t have the funding they need. With increased class sizes at a time when we should be shrinking them, taking away sports and arts, compounded with less money from school choice, increased costs of special education, and possibly less money from the state as well, without an override, our schools are in real trouble. Indeed, this override vote was put on the ballot after many months of meetings in which the school department illustrated, very plainly, that every possible step had been taken to increase the schools’ revenue but that the schools could still not maintain the same services without more funding. Covid-19 didn’t change this. If anything, it makes the picture for the schools even more grim. 

To our neighbors — please stand up for the children of Grafton. They are the future of this town, and they are our greatest responsibility. 

Thank you, 

Beth and Darren Foley