Letter to the editor from Jennifer Barro, Greenwich
I attended the First Selectman and Selectman debates hosted by the League of Women Voters on October 10th. The candidates discussed their views on how to prioritize updating town infrastructure. I was surprised to hear the Republican candidate, Fred Camillo say that he thinks updating our school facilities is not a priority.
Mr. Camillo stated, “Buildings don’t teach you,” his suggestion being that it’s important to have good teachers and not so important to have schools in good state of repair.
There are real problems at the facilities where our children spend so much of their time, most notably, the unusable, contaminated athletic fields at Western Middle School, the plumbing issue at Cos Cob School that necessitated relocating students last year, the condemned bleachers at Greenwich High School, and the lack of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance in many facilities. These issues impact the educational experience of our children and can deter prospective new families from moving into Greenwich.
Mr. Camillo worries that school infrastructure investment would potentially create and pass debt on to future generations. Why does he think it would be fair to pass aging and inadequate facilities on to future generations? I am concerned that patchwork fixes will not be cost effective. The disrepair in our schools has been ignored and pushed down the road for too long.
I believe that Jill Oberlander and Sandy Litvack understand the value of investing in our schools. They will seek input from residents to help prioritize infrastructure projects. They are the leadership team we need to ensure our schools are top-notch. I urge voters who care about improving our public school facilities to vote on November 5th for Jill Oberlander and Sandy Litvack.
Jennifer Barro
Greenwich Resident
NOTE The deadline for Letters to the Editor for candidates in the Nov 5 election was Oct 29. We continue to publish letters received before the deadline.