Opinion: Charter amendments are not the solution

From left, Monitor reporters Jeremy Margolis, Michaela Towfighi and Catherine McLaughlin ask questions of Concord School Board candidates Clint Cogswell, Barb Higgins, Sarah Sadowski, Joseph Scroggins, Pamela Walsh and Andrew Winters during a forum on Thursday at Concord High School. Courtesy
Published: 11-01-2024 6:15 AM |
Cara Meeker is a Concord School Board Member, Zone B (Wards 5, 6, 7)
Elections are an exciting time and there is much for voters to weigh in on this November, from local to national. As a Concord School Board member, I am paying particular attention to Concord School Charter Amendments one and two.
Much has been said about these and I’m afraid some of the quick takes, lacking in nuance by their very nature, contribute to confusion and community division. It can make it hard for voters to know who to trust and what to do when they step up to the ballot box.
For all the talk of the middle school, what’s on the ballot is not a vote on the location of a school but a vote on amendments to the school district’s charter. They are not the same thing. Nearly one year ago, I voted to rebuild the new middle school at the current Rundlett site because that is what I believed was best for our community. This November, I will be voting no on the charter amendments because I believe they are not what is best for our community. You can support building a new school on South Street and also vote no on the amendments.
These charter changes would alter the district well beyond the middle school project and they are not written clearly. The school board will be compelled to ask for legal counsel on their application. I worry the amendments will create unnecessary cost burdens for regular school district business. And for all they might do, there are things they definitely don’t do: they don’t empower voters to approve new school locations (only relocations), they don’t protect the Broken Ground greenspace from future construction, and they don’t control the board’s budget or spending. These are main concerns that I hear from my constituents over and over, and these charter changes do not address them.
There are many current and former school board members, educators, and proud public school parents trying to cut through the political noise to say that the charter and district autonomy is a really good thing that has served this community well for decades. Please trust them. They’ve been involved in our school district for years and know how autonomy benefits our district, students, and schools. I know that’s who I am looking to for guidance.
To chip away at the charter’s integrity just opens the doors for those who would seek to remove the charter altogether. I believe the charter, reenacted with a majority vote of the people in 2022, is working as it should, and I encourage you to vote no on both school charter amendments.
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