Letter: Save Brayton: Vote No on Oct. 8
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To the Editor:
The city of North Adams wants to use state money to demolish and rebuild Greylock School, all because it has neglected to maintain the resources it already has.
A vote for a $65 million school is a vote for higher rent, groceries, and taxes — all for a district with a declining school-age population. The $65 million budget for the demolition and reconstruction of the Greylock School is just an initial estimate. While the opposing side notes that the state is paying for $45 million of the project, taxpayers will pay for cost overruns.
North Adams has not had a single public building project on budget in the past 20 years. Even if a Ferrari is offered at 65 percent off, that doesn't mean it's not going to feel like a big expense — and let's not forget about vehicle excise taxes.
The opposition also claims that Brayton's repair costs will fall on taxpayers more than if the city demolishes Greylock and builds a new school. The only repair quote for Brayton came from the consultants who have an incentive to sell to us the much larger $65 million school project — a huge conflict of interest. The biggest profiteers from this new school will not be our city's future students — it will be building companies, consultants, and debt servicers from outside the Berkshires.
There are other ways to pay for much-needed renovations. The city has not investigated other state programs for repairing our existing schools, like the Massachusetts School Building Authority's Accelerated Repair Program. Further, when compared with renovating and repairing buildings that already exist, new construction increases greenhouse gas emissions by more than 50 percent, according to the World Economic Forum.
North Adams' population is declining so quickly that even Superintendent Barbara Malkas noted in a 2021 iBerkshires article that our school district "does not [even] need to operate with three schools." This year's Greylock School closure reinforces this. Why build a K–2 school for (remember, at least) $65 million in a city with a declining population?
With no plans for Brayton after Greylock's demolition, Brayton will likely become another Sullivan School — sitting vacant, wasting taxpayers' dollars. A vote no on Oct. 8 is a vote to save Brayton and all the resources we already have. In a city like ours with a significant low-income population, it's access to necessities like food, compassionate teachers, and a quality home life that translates to successful student outcomes — not a shiny building
Diane Morrissey
North Adams, Mass.
