To the Editor,
I plan to vote yes in support of MBTA Zoning because I want to continue to see healthy town finances, small class sizes, and depth and breadth in learning experiences for the students of MERSD.
Manchester Memorial has the capacity for more students. It was built with a capacity of 335 and current enrollment is 285 students. At the 10/15/24 School Committee meeting, Superintendent Beaudoin stated that she felt that the school could absorb 100 or more students in addition to what is there now. The recent Finance Committee Fiscal Analysis predicted that the increase in school age children from MBTA Zoning to be somewhere between 50-90 students.
MERSD continually ranks as one of the top school districts in the state because class sizes are low and the school offers specialized courses. Recent allocations of teaching staff based on enrollment and budget meant that, other than first grade and Pre-K, there are only 2 classes per grade and class sizes have ticked up recently at Memorial. Memorial was built to accommodate 3 classes per grade level. An increase in the number of students at Memorial might require hiring more teachers, which would cause class sizes to go back down. Adding or maintaining current enrollment means that student interests, learning profiles, and the grade levels of new and existing residents could add teachers, programs, or specialized courses. Dropping enrollment would shrink programs or necessitate cutting courses or even teachers.
Failure to comply with MBTA Zoning would result in the loss of state grants for town projects like harbor dredging and raising the rotunda. The loss of these state grants means that we either let our infrastructure decay or use taxpayer funds to cover the lost grant money ($4.5m for 2025-26 alone). Taxes go up 1% for every $300,000. Down the line, town residents will be forced to make hard choices about what to prioritize and when or how much to raise taxes. In that climate, the town would still need to find ways to pay for the excellent education that MERSD has historically provided to students, balancing cuts in services against Proposition 2.5 overrides. It is vital we ensure our town finances can continue to support the excellent education MERSD has historically provided.
Support our public schools by voting yes on MBTA Zoning at Town Meeting.
Lindsay Banks
Manchester
