To the Editor:

For the past decade, the Region 17 School District warned residents of a student population boom that would cripple the system. The School Board said the new middle school was needed desperately because the system was so overcrowded. Using the School Board's demographic arguments, eventually this overcrowding would move to the high school level. The extra spaced opened by moving the 7th and 8th grades to the new middle school would be used by the growing high school population. Not so, it seems the school system has so much space in the old middle school wing of HKHS that they plan to open a daycare center for staff and employees only. This will remove three classrooms as well as involve the gymnasium and courtyard for this program.

Conveniently, four days before the 2007-08 school tax referendum, RSD 17 Superintendent Gary Mala announced this plan. People want answers. Who will cover the renovation costs? Who will pay for the new computer monitoring systems? What about increased energy costs? Who will pay to remodel bathrooms for small children? What about increased insurance and liability of putting toddlers in a high school? Townspeople voted for the new school based primarily on the dire predictions over space requirements. We did not vote to remodel classrooms for this day care center. The center will be equipped with video cameras so the employees may monitor their children during their workday. We thought they were supposed to be watching our towns' children during this time.

People are tired of being held hostage by this system's pleas for funding. Both towns generously fund such as small system which produces consistently mediocre results. There's no concern for the towns' older and long term residents who supported these teachers and building programs long after their children left the school system. The RSD 17 School Board even considered providing care for their administration, teachers, and staff's elderly parents. Is this to be funded by the towns' elderly residents who are being forced out of their homes by the annually increasing school taxes? On Tuesday May 8 show the school board you are tired of their games by voting no on the school budget.

Sincerely,
William G. Holt