Anne Eaton lives in Concord.

A group of residents has emerged in the debate over the location of Concord’s new middle school who would like to be seen as the majority. While a very well organized and very vocal group, I see nothing to support the contention that they and their opinion constitute a majority of Concord’s citizens. They do not, in any case, represent me.

I see nothing magical about the Rundlett location. It is cramped, and construction on that site during the school year would cause serious disruptions to both teaching and student learning. (Can you hear those beep-beep-beep back up signals from construction vehicles and the sound of jack hammers breaking up concrete?) Those children entering middle school now and in the next few years have already experienced pandemic-induced disruptions, and their learning suffered, as evidenced by test scores. Can’t we spare them further unnecessary difficulty? And as a recent Monitor opinion piece from a Rundlett teacher (also member of the Board’s Building Committee) made clear, that building is a mess, and a solution is needed sooner than later.

In my experience, Concord’s School Board members are a dedicated, hard-working group who do not make decisions by the seat of their pants, nor do they rubber stamp the wishes of the district. It also strikes me as the height of hubris to second-guess the Board’s decision that was based on extensive and detailed examination and evaluation of information from construction and design experts, information not available to the group that is complaining.

Lastly, on the issue of taking away the School Board’s fiscal autonomy, I believe that would be a disaster. We need only look to Manchester where, with the Board of Alderman in control of the district’s budget, school infrastructure fell into terrible disrepair. I recall a time when the Central High School’s band and chorus could not be on the stage at the same time because the structure would have collapsed. Is that what we want to see happen in Concord? Our children are our future, and their success lies in their education. Let’s let the School Board do its job and stop trying to undermine their efforts.