Why so many County voters said no in SAD 14

Some may get the impression, from the Bangor Daily News’ June 13 article, that the voters are not informed enough or able to understand the needs of the school. Quite the contrary, we do. It’s just that there are those who wish to hold our views to the distance, while the educational needs and availability or services are ignored. One also might say that our school administration exhibits what the education commissioner was alluding to when she mentioned waste; too many administrators and money, misdirected away from the real meaning of school and education.

Access to the middle and elementary educational areas has remained in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for many years. You cannot get to the classrooms, or areas of education, unless you go outside, thus you are deprived of learning and equality. You can get to the gym, without any difficulty from outside of the cafeteria. Kids with special needs ask only for the chance to be equal, in the ability to be able to learn.

Our children do not go on field trips to places of interest too often, or at all, such as a museum of science or history. They don’t go to the shoreline to see the ocean tides, or life in the tidal water areas. They don’t go to visit a planetarium, dairy or a factory. They don’t get the chance to see a philharmonic orchestra. What they do get to do is go to a supermarket and watch jelly doughnuts being filled or play a game of bowling. The answer is a disgrace. They don’t have the money to go, or a bus to use, or a driver to drive, but they always have the money, bus and the driver when it comes to sports, and especially basketball. In other words, they have the money for what they want, rather than what they should be using it for.

Our school administrative district is made up of two towns and several contract and tuition areas. We have the superintendent’s building in front of the school. In five years it has had two separate additions to it. The staff has been increased by many. They’d added a nice large deck, along with a private deck in back for the employees in that building only. The building also has a new and very large ramp, which I am sure is ADA compliant, or is it? So while we have a very nice administration building, access to the gym and cafeteria, we still are not ADA compliant inside the elementary and middle school. We call the administration building the palace.

We also have problems with our children’s ability to tackle college, especially the first year if they make it. In the recent past we’ve had children who had to drop out of college, because they were not prepared for it properly. They lacked the skills and required tutors or other remedial help to try to finish the first year.

The law allows money up to certain amounts to be borrowed without the people’s vote. If as it does and did in this case, the amount exceeds the allowed amount, then the people must have their say. At some point, the administration convinced the school board that they did not need our permission to perform the construction and remodeling of the gym. The administration was asked several times about this question and each time the administration said the board did not have to ask to borrow $40,000 or to withdraw $36,000 additional for this project.

The selectmen of the town of Weston did not expect this answer and after consulting the town’s attorney agreed that the people needed to be asked. Next the town’s attorney spoke with the board’s attorney and it was agreed that the people needed to be asked. The administration still did not want to ask the people unless there was a complaint. There was a complaint and that is what the selectmen of Weston were doing. Questions also arose on the bidding process, executive sessions and minutes of the board changed.

There has been no move by the administration in the past to make the inside of the school ADA compliant as they have in this gym project, or the palace. More money and energy has been spent on the gym than on the education of the students, where the need is fare more important.

So the voters who voted no on June 10 may have to do it again, since the administration and the board refuse to listen to our vote. They knew, and now you know, the reason for the no vote. We are not against the gym or athletics, but we are against the money and needs that put education to the rear, while misdirected priorities are placed first.

We have a duty and an obligation to educate our children and we have not been allowed to do that in recent years. We have said no, finally, to the waste and misdirected money in favor of saying yes to the education of our children who are the leaders of America’s future and at some point, the caretakers of our community in the years ahead.

Stanley Ginish is a retired Navy first-class petty officer from Weston, and the father of two home-schooled sons, the elder of whom recently graduated from the home-school program.