Why I am voting “Yes”
By Will Collette
Cathy and I don’t have kids, school age or otherwise. Our self-interest in the May 7 tri-town referendum for a $150 million Chariho school construction plan is limited to two factors: our taxes and our long-term stake in the community.As
taxpayers and voters, we are often asked to pay for things we don’t use, don’t
need or don’t like. Though I may not agree with every item, I have no problem
with this concept. Mutual aid is the foundation of a civil society, meaning we
all have a duty to support the common good.
I
don’t understand people who quibble about the costs of education given how much
education gives back, or stated conversely, how much it costs us as a
community if we fail to provide a solid and complete education for all.
Town
Council member Scott Bill Hirst (R) and his band of Hopkinton MAGAs are
campaigning hard against the school bond. They already convinced Hopkinton to
vote down the Chariho budget, though the yes votes from Richmond and
Charlestown were more than enough to approve the budget. The odious Clay
Johnson and Richmond MAGAs are also against the bond, as is the right-wing RI Center for
Freedom & Prosperity
And of course, they oppose any and all advances in public education. After all their Party Leader Donald J. Trump famously declared: "I love the poorly educated!" CLICK HERE to watch him say it.
That
Hopkinton Republicans and these other MAGAnuts want to block this bond so badly
is reason enough on its own for me to vote yes, but there’s much more than
that.
By
providing greater educational opportunities, we increase people’s earning
capacity, reduce crime and poverty and improve productivity. Is there a
down-side? Well, to MAGA Republicans, yes there is: an educated public is less
likely to buy their bullshit.
Critics
have grumbled about the cost of $150 million to build three schools and predict
there will be cost over-runs. They dismiss the $112 million in estimated state
funding saying that’s still our own money, but ignoring how the state cost-share spreads
the cost out over the much larger statewide base.
I
worked for the building trades for 10 years before I retired. One of my
responsibilities was to review bidding on public construction projects. In
2005, the going rate for building a public school in Rhode Island was $60
million.
I
am amazed at Chariho’s $50 million per school price tag compared to 20 years
ago. Since 2005, schools must meet improved standards for digital learning, fire
prevention, prevention of environmental hazards, isolation of communicable
diseases like COVID and of course protection for the kids from the shameful
plague of school shootings.
It’s
not just age and disrepair driving the need being this bond issue, it’s new
needs that were never envisioned when Chariho built the schools slated for
replacement. We can’t afford to skimp on health and safety or the critical need
to keep up with advances in technology.
Teaching
young children in the best possible setting prepares them for success in high
school, college or trade school and for careers beyond. The small bump in
property taxes is a very worthy gamble.
Vote
YES on May 7 or by mail-in ballot.