Thank you to the Gazette for publishing letters on both sides of the override debate — and even one in the middle! Reading those letters, one might frame the question as, can we afford to invest in our schools and city services? I would argue the real question at stake March 3 is, can we afford not to?
Without the override, the city will almost certainly need to make cuts to the schools and other vital city services. The less well-off in our community will bear the brunt of those cuts. Wealthier families may be able to afford a private school, or have the time or means to transport their kids to a charter school out of town. But the majority of families will have to make do with fewer teachers and extracurricular offerings, and bigger class sizes.
Right now, Northampton’s excellent public schools are a draw for families moving into the city. If our schools are put on an austerity budget, families may start looking at neighboring communities that are currently investing in their schools. If that happens, property values will decline, triggering a vicious cycle of a shrinking tax base and further cuts. That cycle will hurt every resident, whether they have children in the schools or not.
I believe that Northampton is a community that values inclusion and diversity. Investing in our public schools, along with other city services, are an expression of those values. I am voting yes on the override because I believe that strong public schools make Northampton a better place to live, for all of us.
Richard Parr
Florence