Letter: Why Does Amherst Balance Its Budgets on the Backs of Our Kids?
Photo: Shutterstock
The estimated cost of the Jones Library is at the moment around $46 million. Last week, the elementary school budget was estimated at $29.5 million. This may be a gross oversimplification, but the town council did not blink at guaranteeing funding for the library. Why are they flinching at spending for schools?
Buildings get built as a one-time project even though we have to borrow for them because the town council is comfortable with taking on the liability of debt for construction costs but not the liability of salaries for school services that don’t have a mortgage term. The Bangs, the Jones, the fire station… but conspicuously, they won’t take out a loan to fix the ARMS roof.
But when we talk about school staff the Town Manager and crew are quick to point out the rising costs of insurance and benefits. One could ask if the librarians, firefighters, police officers, and municipal employees are also insured and if so, then why are they not being asked to cut staff and programs in order to offset their rising costs.
All of this is not to say Austerity for All!! I just point it out because it is glaring how consistently and uniquely the need to save money is aimed at the schools. I think that the parents who have mobilized in support of the schools have done a great job of showing support for other town functions (though I seem to have curiously missed the Jones Trustees or APD’s statement of support for strong school funding. Why are the other town departments able to retain (or expand) services while schools must tighten their belt year after year. Why is it only the schools? To say what I actually feel— the town is throwing a banquet, paid for, and entertained by, the town’s kids singing for their supper, and it’s becoming an annual tradition. The Town Manager is acting like a parent who wants to remodel the house and put on an expansion by using his 17-yr-old’s college fund. Cool project bro but you still gotta pay tuition.
So, the TL:DR – we are asking the school committee and the town council to reject the proposed budget and join us in the fight against Amherst’s mismanagement of moneys.
Alex Lopez
Alex Lopez is a resident of Amherst
The school budget can be funded and falling ceilings at the Middle School repaired if the Town Council would switch gears and decide to repair the Jones library instead of demolish and expand it. The Jones Library can be repaired …. contrary to media reports otherwise. The Amherst Town Council authorized $15m as its share for the $46m library expansion plan. Immediate library building repairs include a leaky roof atrium (the slate and metal roofs do not need to be replaced) and the fire and hvac systems updated. Deferred maintenance items include repointing stonework and painting. Do these library repairs add up to $15m?… I don’t think so.
An expanded library is not a town necessity but functioning and safe schools are.