To the Editor:
A
recent letter to the editor (Aug. 8) by Mr. Ed Geoghan unfortunately
illustrates how selective facts can indiscriminately be misused to reach
incorrect conclusions. Mr. Geoghan leads off with some accurate data:
1) the school population in RSU 21 has indeed modestly declined — as
previously projected by a consultant study and 2) as he correctly cites,
school consolidation in 2009, coupled with the above decline, has
indeed resulted in some excess elementary school capacity.
He goes on to state that via merger with Arundel, three schools were added (ML Day, Thornton Academy and TA's middle school, TAMS) thus totaling eight. However TA and TAMS are NOT part of RSU 21! Another irrelevancy: changing high school sports conferences at KHS has nothing to do with closing an elementary school, as he implies.
His recommendation is simply to close two elementary schools. The RSU 21 Facilities Committee has long had a well documented plan to reduce, as necessary, the district's elementary school capacity. It is an integral part of the long range plan to renovate two of RSU 21's elementary schools as well as
Kennebunk High School. This is something Mr. Geoghan well knows, yet ignores. Retaining a K-5 elementary school in each community per the RSU charter and per previous community wishes expressed via voter referendum is the facilities plan.
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