About a year ago the Brunswick School Board voted to move our 5th grade students from the Harriet Beecher Stowe School to the Brunswick Junior High building. That decision was made at a time when the information on which it was made was incomplete and our community’s understanding of the implications of such a change had not had opportunity to develop.

Now Brunswick has a different school board with the newly elected leadership. There is a strong sense in town the earlier decision was premature. We have more accurate projections which suggest that the enrollments of the 5th grade will be decreasing over the next several years from a high in the 2015-16 school year. There are numerous unresolved issues at the Junior High School about how services for the younger children can be integrated into that school’s existing programs and facilities. It is estimated by some that in excess of 1,000, including many impacted parents, community residents and some of our school staff members have already expressed that they are not in favor of the move. And there are several developing alternatives which, if objectively evaluated, could make the wholesale move unnecessary.

A new level of leadership by our school board would be demonstrated by a vote to rescind the decision to make the move of the 5th grade and for the board to undertake a process to identify a positive solution which would be in the best interest of our students.

Ervin D. Snyder
Brunswick