To the Editor:

The people of West Paris wonder how their school district could have been so dismissive of them and their school. SAD 17 has until recently always declared its
support of community schools. I remember at the time the Paris Elementary School was being planned the Superintendent came to our gym and assured us the construction of the school would not impact the school in West Paris. He was reinforcing the community schools concept. When did that change? And why weren’t people told when it changed? The closing of the school here disrupted the education of our children and caused considerable stress for parents who had to provide new ways to make sure their children were properly cared for in such a way that mom and dad could keep their jobs and support the family.

On a Tuesday morning last February, parents were told their children would no longer be attending Agnes Gray School because it was a dangerous environment. How could a building be OK on Monday and closed on a Tuesday? How could the administration of a district ignore a school building’s maintenance to the point it needed to be closed immediately? No one knew there were problems? That is hard to believe. It seems there was some incompetence, or perhaps there was a “plan.”

The people in West Paris had been under the impression that the Agnes Gray School might be replaced at some time with a new school in West Paris. Now we have learned of a plan to build a new school in Norway. At what point was this plan generated? Why weren’t people informed until after that day in February? Why weren’t the considerations leading to this plan made more obvious to the public?

One of my great disappointments is that the administration has been so condescending toward the people of West Paris. The Agnes Gray School was abandoned with no notification to the town government. Later, the windows of the school were boarded up to “prevent vandalism.” No prior notification to the town was provided. The school which had been the pride of the town now looked like a condemned building, which I guess SAD 17 was in the process of condemning. Why were only some of the windows covered? I wonder if it wasn’t intended as a symbol that the end was at hand.

One of the last truly democratic governments is the town meeting. At that meeting, we elect our leaders. Among them are our representatives to the Board of Directors for the school district. Is it true that members of the school board have been told they do not represent the people of their towns? I have lived in West Paris nearly all of my life. I dedicated most of my life to teaching in public schools. I have supported every school budget presented to us. I feel as if SAD 17’s administration has decided the people in West Paris don’t know what is best for their children. Is it true there was a suggestion that some Paris students would be sent to Hebron after the arrival of West Paris students made the Paris School a bit crowded? And is it true the suggestion was dropped after Paris parents objected? Are parents in some places given more consideration than those in West Paris?

If the Ages Gray School is not going to be restored to a usable condition and there is no intent to build a new school there to replace it, I would think someone should explore the possibility of sending our students to the Woodstock Elementary School. It is a shorter distance from West Paris and I expect they would be welcome there. Maybe SAD 44 would have more respect for the citizens of our town.

At the present time, two towns in SAD 17 are challenging the superintendent’s decision to abruptly close our school. Another town is exploring the possibility of leaving the district. Obviously, there is need for better leadership.

Rodney Abbott

West Paris