Why now is the time to vote 'yes' in November and replace Norwich's schools
I know we consider the rose to be symbolic of our city, claiming as we do that Norwich is the Rose of New England, but based on the thirty-one years I’ve lived here, I think a more accurate representation of our city, sadly, is a watch with no hands because whatever it is and whatever you want, now "is not the right time to do it." Ever.
Hear me out.
Without fail, every year there’s at least one (and more often more than one) issue or concern our elected leadership wrestles with, usually at budget time, which gets kicked down the road for next time because "this just isn’t the right time."
I got thinking about that watch with no hands earlier when chatting with an acquaintance whom I encountered who warned me off from writing about “that really expensive school construction bond item” on the ballot for our (I hope) approval on Nov. 8.
As we all know, the road to a very warm place is paved with the best of intentions (roundabouts sold separately, I’ll wager), and I’ve always been more of short sleeve shirts guy myself, so here we are.
To be honest, I’m not sure I’ve seen a whole lot anywhere about this construction project, which will fundamentally reinvent how we deliver education to every school age child in the Norwich Public Schools System for the next three or more decades.
Replacing Norwich Public SchoolsLeaky ceilings and cramped offices: Here's why Norwich wants to buy four new schools
There was a report in The Bulletin, https://www.norwichbulletin.com/story/news/2022/08/16/norwich-ct-sends-elementary-school-building-vote-to-referendum/65405711007/, after the City Council approved sending the bonding proposal to us, the voters,) but that was back in August and here we are, checks watch (oh wait, never mind), twenty-seven days before we cast our ballots and there’s been hardly a peep anywhere about this critically important issue.
Don’t let the price tag scare you, although $385 million of anything is certainly a lot; after state reimbursement and grants, our share is about a $150 million (which is not chump change). Please visit the city’s website and click on https://www.norwichct.org/DocumentCenter/View/8517/School-Building-Program-Referendum-Explanatory-Text for an overview.
And since you’re clicking on stuff, there’s this, https://www.norwichct.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/1200, which details where the dollars and effort are going.
Marijuana industry in CTTwo cannabis stores plan to open on Norwich's West Main Street. Where and when?
I know, "Can’t we just fix up what we have?" We’ve been repairing our schools since my kids were in Buckingham, and that was three decades ago. We’ve gotten to the point where we’re patching the patches.
Over two decades ago we approved two ten-plus million-dollar bonds to finally install technological infrastructure in our schools and expand two of them instead of utilizing capital improvements because (you’ve guessed it) "the time just isn’t right for spending that kind of money."
And it may not be "right" now, either, but it’s a lot cheaper than continuing to maintain buildings decades past their best-by dates.
And money expended on repairs cannot be invested in people and programs to polish and burnish our education system as the sparkling jewel it is for those seeking a world-class school system.
Here it is: There’s never going to be a right time to do this right thing if we don’t do it right now.
There are but two moments in each of our lives, now and too late. And as irony would have it, you don’t need a watch to know which one is which. Vote Yes on Nov. 8.
This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: The case for voting 'yes' to replace Norwich Public Schools on Nov. 8
