To the editor:

I am planning to vote for the school bond next week. In spite of our elementary and high school facilities, Barrington Schools are the envy of every community in the state. But that’s at risk if we don’t provide our kids with access to leading edge technology that will help them build the foundation that’s needed to compete in an increasingly competitive workforce. 

I sincerely believe that our kids will get a return on this investment, but I’m also very mindful of the sticker shock neighbors have had about the likely increase to property taxes. Unfortunately, that’s the price for deferred maintenance and kicking the can down the road. Perhaps if the town had invested in renovations and modernizations over time the cost would be lower. The fact is, except for the middle school, the buildings we send our kids to each day are still designed to meet the academic and workforce demands of the Reagan Administration. 

We need more innovative and more modern facilities. While I support this bond, the town’s school building plan is certainly not perfect: I personally would gladly sacrifice the mystique and comfort of neighborhood schools for the construction of newer and fewer truly transformative school buildings that every student can attend. But doing nothing while waiting for the perfect solution is not an option. 

Supporting the school bond is a choice we must make to ensure that Barrington Schools hold their place as one of the strongest performing districts in the region.

Mike Raia

Barrington