Letter to the editor

I am currently on the ballot for the MSAD 28 School Board. I am also a member of the CRMS Building Committee, and I'm the chair of the Public Outreach Sub-committee. I strongly support the middle school bond that is coming before voters June 13.

I am running for the school board and I have been working for the new middle school because I strongly believe that schools and education are one of the most important and vital parts of our community. I have been out in the community, at tables, knocking on doors, and listening to feedback. I want join the school board to give voice to the concerns, the support, and the input that I heard and to assure you that the school board and building committee have been listening and will continue to listen to you. Community involvement has been central to the process thus far and it will remain so.

I believe building a new school is the best choice for our community, first and foremost, because it makes the most financial sense. There is no cost-free option. There are necessary mechanical and structural updates that will cost more than 16 million over the next ten years. This is not a renovation, but the minimum engineers estimated we would need to spend to keep the school safe and the doors open. The building is old and outdated. There are systems that have been coaxed along by a dedicated maintenance staff, but now need to be replaced. Investing 16 million dollars into a failing facility that is poorly laid out, oversized, inefficient and expensive to operate is not only unwise, it's wasteful in the long run.

Nonetheless, I was also initially skeptical of the $26 million price tag for a new school; it seemed like a lot for taxpayers to shoulder. But I had no metric to make that judgment; I have no idea how much a school should cost. In researching the issue, I have learned that schools cost significantly more to build than an office building or apartment complex of the same size. There are a litany of regulations that only apply to schools, driving up cost. Moreover, schools are built to have a much longer lifespan than average modern buildings. The proposed middle school meets state regulations for size based on our student population (just under 400). The price tag is not only credible, but the cost is below the average cost of comparable projects recently completed in Maine.

The school board voted to bring this bond to the voters only after a lengthy and thorough process, where they carefully vetted the different options, received community input on those options, and considered present and future cost benefit analyses – including the current debt load. Presently, the high school debt is being offset by state subsidies. Furthermore, interest rates are low, but are not likely to stay low much longer – locking in a low rate now will save significant money in the long run. In my experience with this process, the school board and administration recognize that this is a lot to ask of the taxpayers. They are doing so because they not only believe that it makes economic sense, but also because a broad cross-section of the community told them that they agree this is the best solution.

In addition, the school board recognizes that by asking you to vote yes on the bond, they are asking you to trust them to spend your money wisely. President of the School Board Matthew Dailey, and Superintendent Maria Libby recently wrote an excellent column explaining how this will be accomplished. The School Board is financially responsible for spending the bond money, and our School Board has an excellent track record of fiscal management. The have never overspent their budget and by state statute, they cannot overspend on a construction project like the middle school – they are legally restrained from spending more than what voters approve. Moreover, in addition to the oversite by the building committee and the school board, the school board will hire a clerk of the works and an owner's representative to provide day-to-day expert management and direct oversight of the work. Together, they will be able to spot potential problems and address them before they result in additional costs or time delays. This kind of pro-active project management is what allowed the school system to complete the last two building projects at or under budget.

One of the concerns I heard repeatedly is that we should budget conservatively during design and construction. I agree. We do not need a state of the art, overly appointed school. We need a good, safe school that will serve our community well. The building committee has made economic prudence a priority. For example, the primary motivation for changing the vote from November 2017 to June, was to save money. We learned that the State of Maine is projecting a school construction surge in 2018. The increased construction will result in high demand for contractors and material, which will drive up costs. By moving the vote to June 2017, we can bid our project ahead of the construction surge, secure high quality contractors and materials, and most importantly save money. I believe that the building committee and the school board are concerned with financial pragmatism. As a member to both, I will continue to support making economic prudence a priority.

There are many other benefits of building a new school. It is our intention that the building will be used as a community space, as well as a school. The new middle school will have all the large spaces, like the cafeteria, the gym, and mini-theater at the front of the building for easier community access. The middle school will stay in the same location on Knowlton Street, but it will be built behind the current school, so classes will continue in the old school during construction and there will be minimal disruption. In addition, unlike the current facility, the proposed building is compact, concentrating all classroom activity in a single wing which will foster collaborative learning – a central tenant to the excellent teaching that happens in our middle school. The compact design also improves student safety by removing poorly supervised corridors. Finally, and importantly, a new school will be an economic boost to the town. It will help attract families and businesses. Check out our website at http://crmsmiddlematters.info for more information.

The Middle Matters. Middle school is often a difficult and tumultuous time for students, full of significant change and complex social development that can be difficult to navigate. Our middle school students deserve a facility where they can excel. A new middle school is an important investment in our children's future and our community's future. Please join me and vote yes on the middle school bond.

Elizabeth Noble lives in Camden