A few facts before I am accused of being biased – I am the parent of student-athletes. I am also the parent of honors students. I am also the parent of Science Olympiads. I am the parent of band members. These classifications are not specific to individual students. I am the parent of at least one student that fits into all these categories. I like to think I am the parent of six well-rounded students.

I am the parent in a school district that is putting a major capital project up for vote in approximately 60 days and I am concerned. Four of my six children have graduated from Maine-Endwell schools. They have, at varying times, attended all four buildings currently in the school district. The improvements to classrooms are desperately needed.

I have had children that have had to eat in the gym either just after or just before it is being used for physical education class. What a scheduling nightmare this must be for the administration of that building. I have had children who are told their class will be meeting elsewhere for several days because their science classroom is the only one that is lab-ready and another science class needs the lab facilities. I have had children who have had to use the windowsill as a desk during a test as the classroom is not large enough for the class size, most likely due to the fact that the room was not intended to be a classroom when the building was designed. I have sat through concerts in a gymnasium as the auditorium in the building is not big enough to fit all the parents and the stage is not big enough to fit the group sizes.

I have attended sporting events where parents from the opposition cannot believe that “that” is a field. “We are in sectional playoffs but we are playing on that,” they would complain. I have attended sporting events where my mother, who is just mid-sixties, felt uncomfortable trying to get to a seat in our bleachers to the football field. I have driven my son to practice at another school because we do not have the facilities to allow him to practice at our schools. This means, in turn, that I have come to sporting events where my child is a member of the team but cannot compete at home because we do not have the capability to have diving in our swim meets.

An education is multi-purposed. Students need the knowledge from math, science, English, language arts, foreign language. Students need the intangibles from sports and music. Music helps with the core courses and this has been proven by many studies. Sports help in different ways – team building (which, believe it or not, is an important part of most businesses these days), perseverance, study skills, public speaking.

There are many reasons I support both propositions being presented to the voters in the Maine-Endwell school district for approval on March 20th. The classroom areas of the buildings in the schools are in need of the repairs and renovations in the propositions. The building infrastructures are also in need of the updates and repairs that are in the propositions. The athletic facilities are in need of updating and renovation. Parts of the classrooms are unacceptable. Parts of the educational setting are too small and not meant to be classrooms. Parts of the educational setting are not enough to educate to the state standards now in place. Parts of the athletic facilities do not meet state codes for new building. Parts of the athletic facilities do not encourage participation in sports. Parts of the athletic facilities are not acceptable.

Please inform yourself as to the parts of the propositions. Please see what the conditions are the students, teachers and staff are currently working with at the buildings. Please vote on March 20th to upgrade the classrooms, to upgrade the auditoriums, to upgrade the sports facilities. Please vote yes on proposition one AND proposition two on March 20th .