After our long winter, I've been savoring the flowers sprouting all over town. Even more cheering, though, are “The Middle Matters” signs that have popped up with the flowers. I appreciate them because the spirit behind them is so different from the little town where I grew up. There every school bond issue set off a war between families who wanted the best possible public education for their kids and a small but noisy contingent of senior citizens who saw no reason to raise their taxes to support an institution they didn’t use. There were no yard signs. People just yelled at each other. By Election Day, everybody had combat fatigue, and the resentments divided the town for months.

Now here I am, a senior citizen, moving toward a vote on a school bond and remembering the arguments of the “no” voters in my hometown: I don’t have children in school. I’m not going to school. I don’t get anything out of this. As a kid, I had no idea how to mount a case for the other side, and the truth was that I had my own selfish reasons for wanting everyone to vote “yes”: I loved playing in the school band, which was always in danger of being eliminated if the bond issue didn’t pass.

In following the discussion of “The Middle Matters,” I’ve been delighted to see that Camden and Rockport grasp the points that eluded so many senior citizens in my hometown. People here don’t have to be told that when the good of the whole community is at stake, “I” moves over for “we.” They also know that great schools are a big asset in attracting newcomers, which Maine communities sorely need in order to thrive. They take for granted that local businesses need great schools to ensure a steady supply of employees who have been taught how to think straight. They understand that great schools tend to boost property values—for everyone, not just for families with children in school. At this point, all that’s missing is a great place for our middle schoolers to learn.

June 13 and the polling place are on my calendar, and I’m looking forward to taking my place in the grey-haired horde that I know will be voting “yes” for a new Camden-Rockport Middle School.

Patricia O’Toole lives in Camden