To the Editor:
The Best Use of Facilities Ad Hoc Committee meeting has initiated the process of public discussion on the four options for potential school consolidation as outlined in the May 2020 MARS Consulting group report previously presented to the public and available to all online: “MARS Best Educational Use of School Facilities Concluding Report | Hull Public Schools.”
This public process – on an issue concerned community members began raising in 2014 by voting to approve a citizens’ petition in respect to school consolidation – promises to be open, inclusive, comprehensive, constructive, and perhaps even exciting with a targeted end date now established. This process invites, but also requires, active engagement from everyone in our community. We all care deeply about our entire community, of which the schools are an integral part, and about our tax dollars that are invested in it. We recognize that a strong and effective public school system is the hallmark of high-caliber communities.
I urge fellow community members to become actively engaged in the soon-to-be-announced focus groups and public meetings and to read the MARS report. Our various town officials are charged with the tremendous responsibility of making a decision on potential school consolidation, an issue with long-term consequences for everyone in this community, and those officials are seeking the public’s input.
This is a wonderful opportunity for all to become engaged. Let’s all work together, collaboratively and respectfully, to intelligently decide what’s best for the future of this entire community and all who live in it.
Polly Rowe
The writer is a longtime Hull resident and career educator.
