To the Editor:

Although I no longer reside in North Adams, after moving to eastern Massachusetts a few years ago to be closer to family, my roots in North Adams run deep. As a native of North Adams, a Drury High School graduate, a 16-year member of the North Adams School Committee, and a father of children who greatly benefited from their education in North Adams schools, I will always care about the future of North Adams and its children.

I have long been an advocate for a K-8 grade school configuration. However, the current infrastructure of North Adams schools cannot support this approach. You would need significant investment in a much larger facility, at a substantially higher cost to taxpayers, and without the backing of the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA). The proposed new configuration — a preK-2 school at Greylock, a Grades 3-6 school at Colgrove Park, and a Grades 7-12 high school at Drury — is the right fit for North Adams.

I am disappointed that renovating Brayton Elementary School is not a viable option to building a new school. But without MSBA support, North Adams taxpayers would have a much larger cost to absorb to bring Brayton up to 21st-century standards.

MSBA financial support is crucial for North Adams. Most communities cannot renovate to 21st century standards or build a new school without their help. Achieving MSBA's endorsement requires several years of rigorous evaluation and approval processes. If the project is rejected at any stage, it moves to the back of the line, forcing the community to wait many more years, if ever, to reach the point where North Adams currently stands.

The average cost to North Adams households for building a new Greylock school would be $270 per year. It’s an investment worthy of your support.

John Hockridge
Stoughton, Mass.