Open letter to the Greenwich Board of Education, submitted by Barbara O’Neill, RTM D6 Education Committee alt, Board of Education and Chair, Retired Greenwich Public Schools Teacher grades 2-8
Dear Members of the Board of Education,
I urge you to reject the proposed elimination of a house at Greenwich High School to meet the additional $2 million in budget reductions. While adjusting the school start time may raise questions, dismantling a house is a direct attack on the classroom. It would have immediate, lasting, and deeply personal consequences for students’ academic success and emotional well-being.
A later start time could give students 30 more minutes of rest—but there’s no guarantee they’ll use it for sleep. Any benefit is speculative and varies by student. In contrast, eliminating a house directly affects the daily lives of almost 600 students and reshapes the high school experience for all 2,700 students.
Disbanding a house dismantles the core structure that makes Greenwich High School feel manageable, supportive, and personal. Students would be reassigned to unfamiliar houses, severing relationships with trusted counselors, house deans, teachers, and peers. These relationships are not ancillary—they are the foundation of student success, especially in an era of increasing mental health challenges, academic pressure, and social media stress.
The fifth house, Cantor, was created to make GHS feel smaller and to ensure every student is known and supported. This goal has been a GPS guiding star and a New England Association of Schools and Colleges education staple. In today’s post-COVID world, where the mental health of adolescents is more vulnerable than ever due to the pressures of social media and digital life, this goal is more urgent than ever.
Reassigning students may seem logistically feasible, but it comes at a cost: fractured continuity, overloaded support staff, and a diminished sense of belonging for everyone. Juniors facing the college process may lose the counselors they’ve built trust with. Students in special education or emotional support programs may be especially affected. Building trust with new providers can take months, if not longer. Consequently, our neediest students risk losing consistent care. Teachers and psychologists, already stretched thin, will be asked to do more with less.
Moreover, there are logistical and safety concerns. Classes will remain in the eliminated house’s space. Who oversees those areas? Safety and discipline could suffer without administrators, and the district and town could be exposed to greater liability.
This structural change deserves more than a rushed timeline or a quick survey. Because it directly and indirectly affects almost 600 students and the entire student body of 2,700, it demands thoughtful planning, transparent communication, and input from experts, staff, families, and professionals who know the school best. A two-month decision process is simply not enough.
Please do not undermine the supportive, academically rich environment that makes GHS exceptional for the sake of a half-hour shift in schedule. Preserve the house system. Protect what matters most: students’ relationships, safety, and support.
Sincerely,
Barbara O’Neill
RTM D6 Education Committee alt
Board of Education and Chair
Retired GPS Teacher grades 2-8