The Hayfield School Board voted to consider closing Brownsdale Elementary School. Concerned citizens believe the closing would have a negative effect on the school district, and many are waging a petition campaign to avert this action.
In the fall, the school district passed a levy for $851.78 per student. We thought this would halt talk of closing our school, only to be informed "levies are for learning" and "bonds are for building." A report, which many feel is inflated and full of discrepancies, determined Hayfield school facilities need $14.5 million in school repairs and updates. It states Brownsdale Elementary School needs $2.5 million.
Brownsdale Elementary School and its teachers pull in families who want their children to start school close to home even when they live within a few miles of other districts. It also drew in 12 open-enrolled students at $6,000 per student. Since 2007, enrollment has increased by 14.1 percent while Hayfield Elementary has decreased by 17.8 percent and the high school by 16.7 percent.
Closing Brownsdale School with a looming $12 million bond in our future would be detrimental to our whole school district. Sign the petition at Cenex in Brownsdale or Ryan's Foods in Hayfield. Let the school board realize Brownsdale's closure would only exasperate our financial problems.
Bonnie Williams
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Austin
