To the Editor:

The School Board is throwing the residents of West Paris under the bus.

The sudden closure of the Agnes Gray School in the spring of 2024 and the fact that it hasn’t reopened remain controversial. There are many unanswered questions, and the lack of communication between the district and the town is not helping.

One thing isn’t controversial: the townspeople want their elementary school to stay in the community. And this isn’t just folks in West Paris. A promise was made to the towns that joined the SAD 17 district when it consolidated: each town would retain its elementary school.

The cost of repairs to Agnes Gray has continued to increase. It’s now been stated at $6 million. As far as I know,  there has been no competitive bidding process. If $6 million is truly the cost, it’s still a huge savings of over $25 million for a new school.

Historic preservationists say, “The greenest building is the one still standing.” This refers to the embodied energy of the materials in the existing building. Old buildings were built sturdily and well. They were meant to be maintained and repaired. Today, when rehabbing an old building, the majority of the money for repairs goes into labor instead of materials. That money recirculates in the local economy. It provides good jobs and keeps the fabric of the community intact.

The word “inefficient” is being used to describe our community schools. Exactly what does this mean? Does this consider the number of miles buses will travel to get to the consolidated schools every day? A former school board member told me the buses in this district travel the equivalent distance to St. Louis, Missouri, and back every single day. How can we afford all that fossil fuel? How can we justify all the time our young students spend on the bus? No student is learning anything sitting on a bus.

Unprofitable and unnecessary are other terms attached to Agnes Gray School. Since when is a public school profitable? And who describes a school that is part of the fabric of a small community as unnecessary?

It’s time for a reset. We need a decision-making process that will rebuild trust and leave the residents of the district feeling heard and respected.

Ellen Gibson
West Paris