By Elizabeth Tommasino
My husband and I moved our family to Greenwich in June 2011. We didn’t want to put our children in the New York City public school system and we aren’t a big proponent of private schools. We had been told that Greenwich was a wonderful community where we could raise our family, and that the public schools were fantastic. What I didn’t know at the time was that the infrastructure of many of the GPS buildings had a multitude of problems: some were physically crumbling down around them; some weren’t fully ADA compatible; several had fields which contained toxins; at least one had (still has) asbestos in the walls; and several were obsolete in many ways.
In the past 11-1/2 years in residency in Greenwich, I have seen the following happen to our public schools:
1) Lead was found in the well water at Parkway School
2) A large flood at Cos Cob School caused students and teachers to have to temporary relocate to other GPS properties
3) A 15-year plan which was unveiled in May 2017 was blatantly ignored year after year after year
4) The fields at Western Middle School have yet to be remedied and, thus, still are unusable due to the toxins in the soil
5) The ceiling in a portion of North Mianus School collapsed causing students and teachers, again, to have to temporary relocate to other GPS properties
6) A site study at CMS found that parts of the school are structurally unstable
7) Toxins were found at the fields at GHS and, even though they are currently working on fields currently, all athletic fields have still yet to be fully remedied
8) All school buildings are still not ADA compatible and, because of this, there is pending legal action against GPS for lack of timely action to rectify the situation
Did I miss anything???
As a GPS parent and a resident of Greenwich, I am writing in advance of your scheduled meeting on January 25 to express my support for the 5 Year Prioritization proposed budget and the Central Middle School budget line. I believe it is our duty as residents to ensure that our town’s schools are always safe and accessible for everyone. Investing in infrastructure improvements and the maintenance of the town’s schools is of utmost importance. I believe it is imperative that the BOE creates a viable GPS Building Maintenance Schedule so that investments made in our schools’ infrastructure — as well as in our children’s care and safety — are protected.
What I don’t support, however, is having Julian Curtis’ approved “face lift” improvements — including the addition of an unnecessary science room — be a priority over ensuring that every one of our schools is structurally safe and ADA compliant.
Why the BOE actually passed this is beyond belief and, in my opinion, completely irresponsible. In addition, I actually consider it self-serving of the previous Chairman of the BOE to push for the approved amendments to JC versus prioritizing safety and accessibility.
In closing, I think it would be prudent, not to mention highly beneficial to our entire town, if the BET and the BOE would please come to the table regularly and get on the same proverbial page regarding GPS spending and priorities.
I am tired of reading news pieces and op-Ed’s where both entities blame the other for a missed opportunity, under-funding, poor project management, lack of maintenance, prioritization, etc.
Thank you for your kind consideration.
