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To the Editor:
As I stated on Tuesday night, I would strongly urge the Lyme-Old Lyme Board of Education to consider utilizing the open space at Center School before proceeding with a costly and unnecessary addition at Mile Creek.
Our total capacity is approximately 1600 students and our current enrollment is around 1300 children. We have had an increase in students and families over the past two years which is great. There are available classrooms at Center School not currently utilized for Region 18 students that were saved for such a time as now.
Moving three or four kindergarten classes from Mile Creek to Center School is an easy solution to an overcrowding problem. There are classrooms and the school already has the benefit of specials programs being offered.
Ian Neviaser stated last night that no one ever considered the option of only moving the Mile Creek kindergarten. Why not? At one time, this school was used for Old Lyme 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students. Lyme children in those grades were at Lyme Consolidated. We currently bus kids from Old Lyme to Lyme Consolidated to keep that school full. Any overcrowding at Lyme could and should be remedied through changing the line in Old Lyme determining who goes to Lyme Consolidated vs. Mile Creek. Excess busses could be eliminated and a stop at Center School, like just a few years ago, could be added to drop off kids at Center School.
The plans presented in January and rejected by the BOE showed all Kindergartners from both Lyme and Old Lyme moving to Center School. Therefore, any decisions to consider Center School should be brought back to the table.
Thank you for carefully considering the best interests of the taxpayers and for your financial prudence. We see state corruption everywhere, we certainly don’t need unnecessary construction costs in our own town. Keeping our taxes low is the best way to keep Old Lyme affordable for all.
Mona Colwell
Old Lyme, CT