As we look forward to yet another school override election, I would like to point out that the school (and library), which include funding from the state, do not exist alone.
Amherst’s capital needs also include the fire station and Department of Public Works hub, which are “locally-funded.” An intended benefit of the “state-funded” library and school is a savings in operating costs that helps pay for our “locally-funded” capital projects. A new school alone produces $500,000 a year savings over 30 years, a nice down payment on our other, “locally-funded” capital needs.
And it is important to remember that “state-funded” is not some vague lottery that we won. It is our state income taxes paid forward over many years by the hard working people of Amherst, invested by the state and now reinvested in our future. Because, just as we have enjoyed a library and schools paid for by others before us, the future does not belong to us.
Thank you to our School Committee for their vision and, just as important, stewardship.
Kevin Collins
Amherst
