Chatham Resident: Don't Be Afraid to Vote 'No'

The following Letter to the Editor was submitted to Chatham Patch by Susan O’Brien, a Chatham Township resident.

On Tuesday, April 21, Don’t be Afraid to Vote “No” to Question 2 on the School Budget Vote

There is a lot of back and forth going on in the Chathams these days regarding the upcoming referendum vote. There are many of you, who are on the fence, struggling with this decision. Most of this dissonance has to do with people’s genuine desire to support our school budget, and a fear that by voting “no” we are being negative towards our volunteer Board of Ed and our Superintendent who work very hard to make our schools the best in our state. The voters need to understand that by saying “no” to question 2, you can still say “yes” to question 1, which is our school’s operating budget .

The voters need to feel comfortable knowing that a “no” vote on the referendum is not an indictment of the Board of Ed or the Superintendent, but rather an invitation to make use of the community that is willing to work with them to come up with a strategic plan that serves our schools needs now and in the upcoming 5-10 years. A new referendum can be proposed as early as September. I know that the argument for doing it now is that interest rates are low; but even if interest rates go up, it won’t be by a significant amount in just 5 months, and isn’t it better to spend more money on the right things, than less money on the wrong ones?

We need to collectively ask ourselves as we head to the polls, is this the best use of this money, given all of the needs that currently exist in our district? Can renovations of the two existing auditoriums achieve the goal of a nicer, ADA compliant facility? Will a $10 million dollar Performing Arts Center, suddenly develop our children into young thespians? Is there a better use of that space at the Middle School?

By the Superintendent’s own admission, this is the last piece of valuable real estate we have available to build a new structure. If that is the case, why not save the space in case the district grows so much, we have to build many more classrooms than the few we will gain by converting the current auditorium into STEM classrooms and administrative space? If a Performing Arts Center is built, it can NEVER be repurposed in the event we do need to expand.

As an 18 year resident of this town, I have always supported our budgets and referendums. I have made phone calls on behalf of Education Counts, and had vote “yes” signs on my lawn. This year is different for me, because I am genuinely concerned that we might be making a GIANT mistake to the tune of $14 million dollars, a mistake that cannot be taken back. So for the very first time, I will vote no on question 2. I hope you will consider this when you cast your vote on Tuesday, April 21.

Susan O’Brien

Chatham Township

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More on Patch:

• Chatham Borough Resident: Bond Referendum Constrains Funding of Educational Priorities for Years to Come
• Chatham Resident: Misinformed Voters Make Bad Decisions
• Chatham Resident: Proposing Framework For Three-Question Format For Upcoming Referendum
• Township Resident: Taxpayers Will Shoulder Cost of New School Theater for 20 Years
• Chatham Parent: Why I Support the Referendum and Board of Education
• Resident: Is a $14 Million Chatham Middle School Theater Reasonable?