To all the parents with children going to Sag Harbor schools who don’t want the Sag Harbor School District to buy the Marsden Street property for $9.425 million ($6 million bond + $3.425 million from school’s reserve fund, including $150,000 for counsel and closing costs) on May 16: You are not alone.
The numbers: With almost 1,000 students in the Sag Harbor schools, there are almost 2,000 parents, stepparents, guardians and grandparents. But only 638 people voted to approve $3.325 million from the school’s reserve fund in the November 3 referendum, and some of those voters did not have kids in the school. The stakes are much higher now, and that alone should give some pause to rethink one’s vote.
We are parents of four kids who had attended Sag Harbor schools, now grown up and living on their own. Despite our empty nest, we identify with the parents and kids who oppose the school’s plans and understand how difficult it may now be to voice your viewpoint. You may be like us, longtime supporters of the school who feel conflicted opposing the Marsden Street bond. Disagreement with the school’s position is not disloyalty but an effort to share another perspective.
If we were again in your shoes, we would be angered by the school’s precipitous actions without a districtwide needs assessment; we would be upset that the school has not prioritized other essential unmet needs of the school, like an elementary school lunch program; we would be frustrated that the school has never seriously considered other uses of the property — for eight months, we’ve only heard about a plastic playing field with bathrooms and a concession stand, as well as a 72-car parking lot; we would feel dismissed when we advocate for doing whatever we can to preserve and not destroy our environment.
Finally, we might feel unsafe and even bullied by going against the school tide that has heavily promoted this bond. In fact, at the last board meeting, board members threatened legal action against the opponents of the bond if we continue to spread “misinformation.”
The so-called “misinformation” in our campaign materials is drawn directly from the school’s public statements before the Town Board and published reports on the school’s website over the last eight months.
Vote no to defeat Proposition 2, the Marsden Street bond, on May 16. But vote yes to support the school budget.
John and Leah Oppenheimer
Sag Harbor