Gazette: “Group sends letter to fight school closing”

Yesterday’s Gazette reports on the status of the Bridge Street School petition:

Group sends letter to fight school closing

Close to 600 city residents have signed a letter [link] protesting a proposal
that threatens to close a city elementary school in order to whittle
down what school officials say could be an $800,000 budget shortfall.

The letter, which asks the city to defer any decision on closing a
school until next year, was delivered Monday to Mayor Clare Higgins and
members of the School Committee. The advocacy group known as the
Northampton Education Action Team has been circulating the letter
seeking signatures…

The letter calls for a “due diligence study on the full impact
(educational and economic) of closing a school, including everything
from city property values and the quality of learning to traffic flow
and gymnasium crowding…”

See also:

Letter to Gazette: “Don’t rush into a decision on school closure” (3/30/08)
After a two-year process that involved significant public input, the city has adopted a Sustainability Plan [link]
that promotes infill development in the urban core and alternative
forms of transportation. This is the first real test of the city’s
commitment to this plan…

April 12: Garden Clean Up/Community Rally for Bridge Street School (3/26/08)

Mayor Presents Latest Northampton City Budget, Proposed School Budget Reductions (3/24/08)

Closing Bridge Street School Contradicts Smart Growth Goals (3/19/08)