Retirees choosing to invest in our city and schools: Letter

We have been residents of Melrose for over 30 years and we chose to live in this vibrant, inviting, supportive and stable city because this is the place we wanted to raise our children. When we purchased our first piece of property in Melrose, interest rates were astronomically high, but we did it anyway and looking back, it was money well spent.

Fast forward to today and we are blessed with three grandchildren, we are both retired and we still love Melrose after all of these years. Two of our grandchildren attend Melrose Public Schools and they absolutely love school. We are very actively involved with the school community and we see first- hand how dedicated the teachers and administrators are, despite the fact that their pay is not commensurate with their rich and powerful professional experience. We cannot figure out what makes these teachers stay. They could work in the community next door and they would enjoy a pay raise, however they stay, but for how much longer? It is time for all of us to take our heads out of the sand. We must face reality. By placing the override on the ballot we are giving the residents of this great community a chance to speak, a chance to decide if we want our beautiful city to continue to be one of the most sought after communities in the entire commonwealth and one of the hottest zip codes in the country. If this override does not pass, the new article will read “Once the hottest zip code and now all we see are for sale signs.”

We should all want education to be a priority, after all that is one of biggest considerations young families are making when they choose where to raise a family. We urge all residents to look at the BIG PICTURE. This override is the right thing to do for the long run. If our school system tanks because we cannot afford to retain teachers, hire more staff, add classroom space and infrastructure and eliminate our funding shortfalls, we all lose.

Sincerely,
Paul and Elaine Catalogna