Dear Editor:

Boothbay/Boothbay Harbor CSD school board members and trustees have recommended that we move forward with elementary school renovations and a new high school building at a cost of $89 million without thoroughly investigating other options.

Consider that:

1. Enrollment in our schools has shrunk dramatically. In the past decade, local BB/BBH HS enrollment fell from 176 to 117 students.
2. The new HS design excludes space for new vocational programs.
3. There would be little to no state financial assistance.
4. The plan will raise our costs to $40,000+++ per student which would be the highest in the state. We subsidized the education of 61 HS students from other towns such as Edgecomb, Southport, etc., which only paid $12,558 per student in accordance with state law.

It’s our civic duty to provide education for students in our two towns. But is it our duty to pay for other towns’ students?

It’s time we consider other common sense options before we vote to spend $89 million.

Denise Griffin

Boothbay Harbor