LETTER: Former School Committee Member Melissa Plowman Urges A “Yes” Vote, Explains Why Consolidating Three Schools Into One Is A Good Thing

Dear Editor and Wilmington Community,

What an exciting time for Wilmington residents to be so well-positioned to building a stronger more valuable community! There has been so much talk about how our town has been complacent and overlooked our school facilities for decades, and now is our time to change that narrative, and to do so in a fiscally responsible way. I am writing today because myself and my household are definite “YES” votes on building a new, consolidated school for the families on the North Side of Wilmington and I wanted to specifically speak to questions about the appropriateness of having a preschool housed alongside fifth grade students.

I was highly involved in the early stages of this project and can assure you that a significant amount of time, attention and care went into the decision around consolidation. While design for the actual physical structure was highly considered, the educational and developmental aspects for our children were major topics during these forums and at the forefront of everyone’s thinking throughout the process. In addition to hearing presentations from professional consultants regarding the implications of consolidation, many of us did our own research into the benefits and challenges of schools that span grades pre-k to 5. Many of us also spoke personally to our experiences having been educated effectively in similar or exact scenarios. As a professional in the field of child development, psychology, and education, I feel very confident that the decision to consolidate will benefit the education and development of our children; it will also enhance the work of our educators. A pre-k through 5th grade school provides stability for Wilmington students because it reduces stress and anxiety by minimizing the number of transitions our children (and their families) have to otherwise navigate. Pre-k to 5th grade schools also foster stronger relationships and a greater sense of community because educators can communicate more easily and frequently, resulting in greater familiarity with the students and therefore continuity for the students. Lastly, pre-k to 5th grade schools provide leadership and mentoring opportunities, giving students a sense of connection, purpose and pride. Sure, there will be challenges like sorting out traffic patterns and such, but the benefits of this model outweighed the challenges in every thoughtful discussion our working groups had.

I’d also like to speak briefly to the concern about the financial implications of this project and urge people to have the foresight that those before us lacked. The cost isn’t going to get cheaper over time and we will still be faced with needing new schools! Years have been spent securing financial support for THIS project and people need to understand that the $62 million we have been granted from the state cannot be reserved for a different design or decision. If we don’t use it for this, we lose it. Besides having the benefit of financial support from the MSBA, I urge you to also consider that a new, high-quality school will increase property values for Wilmington residents. So, let’s stop waiting for a better time to tackle this needed project. Let’s be able to say that we are the ones who made this finally happen. Let’s VOTE YES on September 13th at town meeting and September 16th at the ballot box.

Respectfully,
Melissa Plowman