1) The students: No child should have to eat meals in the hallway next to the laminating machine. Without a cafeteria or on-site kitchen, students retrieve prepared lunches from the school’s basement and dine in the already cramped classrooms or hallway. For this reason alone it isn’t a wonder why the Massachusetts School Building Authority labeled the Avery School one of the worst in the state. And let’s face it; the 89-year-old Avery School is literally falling apart. The combination of a high water table and rain causes the paint to peel in the girls’ bathroom and walls to crumble. Aside from safety concerns, the elementary school students are crammed into their classrooms. At 608 square feet, the average classroom size falls over 300 square feet short from today’s standards of 950 square feet. Instead of just letting the kids “get by until middle school,” give them a chance now. Give them a new school.
2) New athletic fields: It’s no secret the Avery School vote is tied to the town’s plans to renovate the Stone Park athletic complex. The debt-exclusion override can pass to build the new Avery School, but voters can’t just approve $3.1 million in bonds for the new complex on its own. The bonds will fund the design and construction of a synthetic turf field, a new 400-meter, six-lane track with an 8-lane straightaway; home bleachers for 1,000 spectators; a new press box, multiuse scoreboard, and restrooms; and wiring for lights. This vote isn’t just for a single East Dedham elementary school, it is for all students.
3) Home values: No kids in the school system? Look at a “yes” vote, as a measure to improve the value of your home. The facts are simple: better school systems equal higher home values. In this real estate market any boost is a positive one.
4) The state is paying $11.1M: The Massachusetts School Building Authority has already awarded Dedham an $11.1 million grant the three-story, 61,000-square-foot elementary school planned for Pottery Lane. It is up to the town to cover the remainder of the roughly $23 million bill. In this recession, if the state is willing to say “yes” to the education of Dedham students, shouldn’t voters also answer the call?
5) It is only roughly $60 a year: Nothing is free. If Dedham voters move ahead with the debt-exclusion override, homeowners are looking at paying roughly $1,509 toward the school over 25 years, or about $60 per year or $5 a month. Look at it this way: The $1,509 is nothing compared to what a new, better school will do to your home value.
