We voted as a city to rebuild four schools. So why are we not going ahead as the people wanted?

It seems like a trend to deny the people’s will in so many areas, but education is one of the prime targets. With the economy booming, why are kids, schools and teachers suffering?

Presumpscot Elementary School was proposed to be rebuilt first in the list; since then, it’s been moved to last on the list. Do you know how disheartening that fact is to our community? Once again, the buzz is to close Presumpscot School.

This is a neighborhood with many challenges that our school helps with – financial challenges; the challenges of diversity, with many immigrants; food challenges, and special needs challenges. We need a place to come together in community to help our kids and Presumpscot is that place – the only place we have.

This school is not dispensable, and neither are the people here in this neighborhood. They want a walkable school; they don’t want their kids warehoused in some inconvenient location. The parents of Presumpscot kids will fight to keep their children in Presumpscot, a safe, award-winning, amazing and loving neighborhood school.

We want this investment in our neighborhood, which will attract young families to raise kids here and improve all of our lives, thus improving Portland. This is the hard-won investment we fought for and voted for and won. East Deering deserves the support and encouragement these improvements will bring. All of our Portland community schools deserve the same level of equity – nothing less.

Bradford Post

Portland

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