To the editor:

At the Little Compton Town Financial Meeting on 18 May 2021, I  tried to extract the school stroke from the omnibus amendment proposed by the Town Financial Committee to vote the entire budget, as,approved, in a single vote. 

With the confusion of order taking in the Zoom environment, I was unable to describe why I wanted to debate this stroke separately nor advocate for the change I wanted. I am using this letter to inform the town’s voters and those of surrounding communities what a phenomenal resource we have in the Wilbur McMahon School.

The current leadership, Superintendent Laurie Dias-Mitchel, Principal Sonya Whipp, and Heather Fitzgerald, along with an outstanding faculty have lead the school through the COVID disruptions. Throughout, the teachers have continued with courage, excitement, and deep empathy for the students and their families.  

Remarkably, the school has continued to offer programs, especially in the arts, that compete with the very best of well funded private schools. 

The school has applied for and received grants to support the costs of specialized program in the arts, along with fundraising in the community. The school has also become attractive to students outside the district whose families value the opportunity and are willing to pay the head rate for instruction. The school, unlike some in a time of declining birthrates, is flourishing and welcoming to students from the larger community.

I had hoped to raise the school budget proposal by $2,000 to support innovative and developing programs that enrich the education of our children. I would have loved the opportunity to raise this at the Financial Town Meeting and describe the merits and accomplishments of our school in more detail than just the budgetary request.

I would like to ask the Little Compton residents to donate as they are able to the arts programs at Wilbur McMahon School.

Johanna W. McKenzie

Little Compton