LETTER: Parent, educator, former board member urges ‘yes’ vote – ‘don’t take it out on the kids’

May 24, 2024

To the Community: 

I urge readers to vote YES for the school budget on or before May 30.

For me, it's simple at this point. Our children are the future of our communities. We need to invest in them. 

The two previous budget failures will already cause irreparable harm to educational programs and learning opportunities in the Harwood Unified Union School District, and a third would be catastrophic. 

This is not hyperbole or exaggeration. I'm a high school and college educator, and I'm the parent of a first-grader. I don't think it's fair or just that our children are the victims of adult disputes about taxes. I want my child (and all children!) to attend schools with rich language, art, and music instruction. I want well-resourced, creative, and inclusive libraries. I want outdoor education, social-emotional support, and restorative approaches. I want our children to learn to be active, engaged, and compassionate. I want us to collectively invest in a better, more holistic way of doing school. 

Instead, we're very close to going over the cliff of basic and mediocre that will be nearly impossible to climb out of. 

Please. Enough harm has been caused already. Talk to your reps if you're still mad; don't take it out on the kids. Vote YES!

Peter Langella

Moretown  

Peter Langella is a former representative to the HUUSD School Board.