I’m writing in support of a YES vote on Monday for a new LHS—because this is not a luxury. It’s a long-overdue necessity.

I graduated from LHS in 2001, and we needed a new building even then. I remember squeezing through narrow pathways between buildings whenever the weather was bad and slipping and sliding outside of that if it was too crowded and we needed to get to class on time from one end of the campus to the other. I remember the temporary buildings that went up in my last years of high school and was shocked when I returned years later to find that they had been made permanent.

Now, after more than a decade working as a teacher at RSM supporting high school students, I hear directly from them that things are even worse and how inadequate and deteriorating facilities affect their learning, health, and well-being—whether they say it aloud or not. I know our community cares a lot about education and that is the reason many of us moved here, but there is no way our schools and students will be able to remain competitive unless we give them the quality facilities they need and deserve.

For those concerned about the cost: delaying will only make this project more expensive. Construction costs continue to rise, and the cost to our students’ mental health and daily environment is far too high a price to pay. Let’s not repeat the mistake we made decades ago, when the price tag would have been significantly lower.

Vote YES on Monday, and let’s do right by our future learners and preserve the quality of education that made us proud residents to begin with.

Manasi Singhal, LHS Class of 2001

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