Vote ‘Yes’ on school referendum

Written by Opinion Tuesday, 27 December 2011 00:00

To the editor:

I have the privilege to be on the Upper Township Building and Grounds committee. I never served on a committee or board with such dedicated, passionate neighbors. The enthusiasm in every meeting is inspiring. The chairman, Steve Martinelli, has his hands full and is doing a brilliant job at keeping all focused on each and every issue.

I volunteered to be on this committee as I have been a resident for 32 years. My children have gone through the school system and now my grandchildren are attending Upper Township schools. My family presently occupies four residences in Upper Township and we endorse the township to all friends. It is a wonderful place to live.

I have been in the building and development business for over 40 years and have experience in evaluating buildings and their problems. This referendum in January will be the best course of action for our schools and the township. The two-school system is recommended, not three. It is pretty simple. It costs less to maintain two buildings rather than three. And yes, we have to fix what is broken. And yes, it is going to cost us money.

So please vote “YES” on the first question of the referendum to allow the Board of Education to make the necessary repairs in order to keep our schools safe, healthy and maintained for the children of Upper Township now and in the future. Vote “NO” on the second question to realize the cuts that were made to the failed referendum.

John Mirenda

Upper Township