To the editor:

Many of us are bracing for this week's Financial Town Meeting, as the COA recently elected to "make a statement" by drastically cutting the school budget, and then seemingly changed their minds (at least to some extent and without much explanation) on just how much of a statement they wanted to make. It all seems very confusing.  

But this much is crystal clear: any cuts to existing services in our schools is bad for Barrington. It is bad for our kids, it is bad for our schools, it is bad for every single one of our property values. Letting the committee on appropriations toss numbers out without relying on the expertise and experience of our school administrators and officials, and without understanding sound educational policy, or state and federal mandates, is a dangerous method through which to fund our schools. This town relies upon its schools and their reputation. What will we be when our schools are not a magnet for families across the state and beyond? Rhode Island companies direct new hires to look for housing in Barrington. Hospitals direct new medical staff to Barrington. All because of the schools. What will we be — and what will happen to our property values — when we have no sports? No arts? Not enough teachers?

We face many unknowns in the arena of public education, but it looks certain that many cuts to federal funding of public schools loom ahead. Any additional cuts at the local level will have dramatic effects from which it will take years to recover. Requesting "level services" in this time of uncertainty is tantamount to going backwards — and anything less than level services is the beginning of the end for Barrington's reign as the leader of quality public education in Rhode Island. 

On Wednesday night, please vote yes for the two amendments that are on the ballot relating to the school department. The first is to increase the COA's recommendation by $100,000. This is a start, but it is not enough to restore all that will be cut, and there is no way to know which lost service, teacher or sport will be reinstated with that money. But according to the rules of the Financial Town Meeting, we must first approve this smaller amendment or we will not be allowed to even consider the second amendment. The second amendment simply asks that all of our existing services be saved. It does not ask for new services, or new buses, or new programs or new initiatives. It simply asks for our school funding to be restored to what is was last year. Let's not go backwards. We won't recover. Please vote to restore last year's funding. Nothing more, but nothing less. It will benefit every homeowner in Barrington.

Kathy Sullivan Crain

Barrington