In Support of a Yes Vote on April 2nd: Opinion

I am a 2016 graduate of MHS. I spent the majority of my life in Melrose Public Schools, and I am very appreciative of many teachers and coaches who helped shaped me along the way. My experience at Melrose High School was largely a great one. I learned lifelong lessons both in the classroom and on the Fred Green Field. However in my latter years at Melrose High School, I began to realize how years of improper funding had failed both students and faculty.

Melrose lags behind the majority of the Commonwealth in school spending. As a result, in my time at Melrose High, I saw countless teachers leave to take higher paying jobs in other school districts. Who can blame them when Melrose teacher salaries are in the bottom 12% of Massachusetts? After receiving a year of exceptional learning, I saw the teachers responsible for my growth leave Melrose in order to receive an adequate salary. Luckily, I had a chance to have these teachers, but those who came after me did not. Many more will be disadvantaged if we continue to cut the Melrose Public Schools budget. No teacher should have to get a second job just to afford rent; but that I was a reality I witnessed among some of my best high school teachers. We will not be able to retain and adequately pay our teachers without a proper investment in the future of Melrose Public Schools.

On April 2nd, we have an opportunity to change course. The Proposition 2 ½ Override comes at a trying time for Melrose Public Schools; a time when it is needed more than ever. As a proud product of Melrose Public Schools, I ask you to to invest in our city’s future by voting Yes on the Override.

A vision of Melrose High School with even more budget cuts is a bleak one. School enrollment has increased as the real estate market remains hot. The surge in enrollment is projected to continue for the next ten years. Paired with the prospect of cutting classes with fewer than 20 students due to lack of funds, increased enrollment will lead to out-of-control class sizes. As a city, Melrose cannot continue to expect underpaid teachers to effectively educate and mentor classrooms of 30+ students. Our failure to properly fund public education today is an ill-advised investment in the future of our city. But, on April 2nd, we have a chance to put ourselves on the right track. The Proposition 2 ½ Override is not a long-term solution for fixing all of the budgetary issues of Melrose Public Schools. However, a Yes vote is a necessary safeguard for saving our schools and the first step towards truly investing in public education.