Letter To The Editor: Vote No On Proposed School Build

This letter to the editor is from Karen Lee of Wilmington:

By now, most of the residents of Wilmington have heard the noise about the proposed $173 million dollar Wildwood School Project on the North Intermediate school site. But this is not the only major capital expenditure in progress or on the horizon to make our paychecks obsolete. Other town initiatives include a new fire substation for the North side, the planned rebuild of the Shawsheen Tech-- with Wilmington responsible for our share of the costs, a new Department of Public Works facility on Andover St., ongoing financial recovery from the construction of the new Town Hall and a recently completed Senior Center. All these projects together add to the town’s financial challenges and dramatically increases homeowner’s tax burden without adding the most expensive elementary school ever built in Massachusetts.

Operating a large new school will require a significant increase in staff—not necessarily more teachers to enrich students’ experiences, but more custodial, HVAC, and electrical personnel to maintain the facility. These additional positions are estimated to add over a million dollars annually to the town’s payroll. Furthermore, some redundant administrative positions will not be eliminated but “repurposed” elsewhere as those folks are under contract. This means our residents will be responsible for the increased salaries plus payroll taxes, unemployment insurance, and paid family leave, deepening the long-term tax burden for residents.

I encourage any concerned residents to consider whether this current plan represents the most fiscally responsible option. A “NO” vote at the September 13th town meeting would send a clear message to revisit the proposal and pursue a more reasonable, less costly approach.

Because there are two votes on this measure, I urge the community to attend and Vote No at 9AM at Wilmington High School on September 13th and also the ballot vote on Sept 16th and vote this down in exchange for a more fiscally responsible plan.

Sincerely,

Karen Lee

Arlene Ave.
Wilmington MA