To the editor:

Many of you know me from the “Save Sowams School” campaign. I’m writing today to formally suspend this campaign and throw my personal support behind approving the school bond in November’s referendum. This bond (a maximum of $250M at ~55 percent reimbursement) is a historic opportunity for all towns and cities in Rhode Island.

Having followed this process for years, I think rejecting this bond will pose avoidable future challenges for Barrington schools and taxpayers. After RIDE wraps up this school construction process, the state may issue a moratorium on any reimbursements for school construction.

The impact on Barrington residents would be severe, as the need for improved facilities at our schools is known and is not going away. We can no longer afford to kick this down the road while our BHS facilities fall behind or elementary students attend classes in modular structures. We couldn’t call ourselves a community of scholastic excellence if we’re one of the few municipalities in Rhode Island to turn down this considerable aid.

Knowing there is a property tax increase to support servicing this bond, I call upon our school administration and town council to evaluate all cost-saving measures to shoulder this debt better.

Are the current options being weighed the best they can be? No. But let’s collectively set ego aside and understand that either option is an excellent investment, allowing us to hold our heads high and be proud of the quality of public education Barrington provides.

Robert Swarts

Barrington