Words Have Consequences

I think many parents are in shock at the moment, there's a chance that their school might be targeted by the school committee for closure. And 'targeted' is the right word to use because that's how many of us feel about this issue of school closure. There's been no reason given as to why we need to close any schools, no evidence shown as to why there's a financial reason we need to close schools.

The redistricting and consolidation presentation was portrayed as the will of the people, except if you read the proposal for hiring Sanborn, it describes the proposal to close schools. If you listen to some members of the school committee in 2024, all they talked about during the year was the need to close some schools. Essentially the process was treated as if the decision to close had already been made. If you read the survey you'll see it was designed to produce a result that supported school closure. It all started when the decision not to close schools in April was published, it was explained that the decision was delayed to September 2025. To me all of these reasons give me pause for how the school committee has been acting and speaking about schools since April 2024.

In addition, I’m reading comments from neighbors in other parts of Braintree that Highlands and Liberty should be closed because there’s a convenient school nearby that could be used. And that the neighbors in the South end of town have gotten more because a new school was built. I think it's okay to think that, but recall that in April when Highlands and Liberty were threatened with closure in less than a week. The call to close a school was also a shock, folks reacted, in understandable ways. Maybe not always thinking about what consequences their words would have. I think what we all have to consider as citizens is that we have more in common, and that working together we can achieve more as allies than being pulling apart.

No decision has been made yet about which schools are going to be closed, and if any will be closed.

I sometimes wonder for all the drama of that fateful week in April 2024 if it was all a switcharoo, the prospect of school closure ended, and the relief at it not happening, resulted in less outcry to the school budget being cut by $4M and the fire department receiving nothing in the override plan.

If the override hadn’t passed 90 educators would have been let, go. But it did, by 67% and as a result, 40 educators were let go, as well as services cut across the town, not least reduced services for firefighters.

Those 40 members of staff were one of the largest dismissals of educators in the town’s history. And the impact has been fateful, while the School Committee members haven’t investigated the results of the cuts. Student reps have stood up repeatedly at the school committee meetings and described those impacts, month after month over the last year, and union leaders have reported on the lack of morale, empty classrooms, and the impact of not having library and media staff in schools.

Any school closure will have an impact on students, educators and neighborhoods. We should all remember that.

You, the citizen of Braintree, must look to your own conscience. What’s important to you? I know I’ve been proud in recent years, every time asked, the people of Braintree have stepped up and said yes to Braintree. Yes, to the debt exclusion, and yes to the override. Rather than seeking cuts, it seems to me the people of Braintree want to invest. They want working schools, public works, and firehouses.

I know many people are frustrated with the state of things, and that frustration results in them saying things, such as “What happened to my tax dollars, that’s it, no more money should be given to the government”. I recognize the concern, your frustration. When I’ve talked with you who have those concerns in detail, many revealed their frustration with the state of the buildings rather than wanting to just cut back.

However, those words about cutting expenses have consequences, whether intended or not. Those words influence leaders to push for more cuts, and less revenue. Or those words are used as shields by the leaders, the leaders state they are representing those voices when cuts are made. When instead if you think about it the leaders are making their own leadership statements. As the votes for the debt exclusion and override show, most people want better schools, not closed schools.

The redistricting and consolidation options feature every school. Each parent worries their school will be picked and wonders why another is not instead. However, if you think you are alone and that no one else is out there to help you, it’s easier to deal with individuals compared to a group of people who know they are connected and working together with fellow citizens. This process has divided us, but that doesn’t mean we should let it divide us.

This current debate about schools seems to me to be about what is the heart of Braintree. Is it about cutting expenses, cutting services, not maintaining buildings until they fall into ruin as they have with the firehouse HQ and school building catastrophic failures? Or is the heart about maintaining schools so they don’t have roofs falling off. Making sure firefighters have a decent place to work?

Whatever we decide, think about how you debate, the words you use to describe your fellow citizens, and how your words might be taken by our leaders as a shield to claim representation rather than leadership. And think of your fellow citizens, those apparent enemies might just be the allies you need and who will support you.