Opinion: Why I support the Concord Concerned Citizen’s group

Jeff Wells from Concerned Citizens for Concord delivers the 1,500 petition signatures to Bridget Edinger, the executive assistant to the Concord School superintendent on Monday, August 15, 2024. Other members of the group, Rebecca Maccini (left), Charles Russell, Dan Williams and Robert Maccini look on.

Jeff Wells from Concerned Citizens for Concord delivers the 1,500 petition signatures to Bridget Edinger, the executive assistant to the Concord School superintendent on Monday, August 15, 2024. Other members of the group, Rebecca Maccini (left), Charles Russell, Dan Williams and Robert Maccini look on.

By STACEY BROWN

Published: 08-28-2024 6:00 AM

Stacey Brown is Ward 5 City Councilor in Concord.

My statements here are my own and not representative of the City Council’s, but as a taxpayer, mother of two Concord school students, former middle school teacher, and elected official, I feel obligated to learn as much as possible about issues impacting Concord residents.

I am proud to support the Concord Concerned Citizen’s group (CoCoCi) that came together as a result of the school board’s decision to relocate the middle school. CoCoCi members include a proud South End grandmother who personally collected over 500 signatures going door-to-door, an IT professional of 40+ years who built a website to promote transparency of city and school issues, a talented musician who first sounded the call with an online petition, lawyers working pro bono, current and former educators, and many more community members advocating for the environment, a healthy economy, education, and equitable access to resources.

After hearing the concerns of the overwhelming majority of Concord residents, I adamantly oppose the decision to relocate the middle school to Broken Ground. I oppose the use of outdated figures, incomplete plans, and missing infrastructure costs to justify a project the community is against. I oppose clear cutting 23 acres of forest, increasing transportation costs, emissions, local traffic, and ignoring long-established Safe Routes to Schools.

Let’s be clear: no one from CoCoCi testified against Building Aid. One member voiced concerns over an autonomous school district inflating the cost of a middle school to more than twice the amount originally proposed. In fact, Concord School District’s plan is over $100 million more than any other school district on the list for State Building Aid.

School board members who campaigned on a promise of rebuilding trust and transparency have a lot of work to do.CoCoCi is collecting signatures to allow voters to decide school location and land sales, I encourage you to join me in signing.