Letter to the editor: Building from the ground up
Please note: This letter reflects opinions regarding the November 2022 school referendum to construct a new, combined elementary and middle school. It does not represent the current 2024 Cape Elizabeth school proposal.
BY JENNA ISAACSON PFUELLER
It’s easy to keep kicking the can down the road. Just look at the map of additions made over the years to our elementary and middle schools and you’ll see clear evidence of nearly 100 years of that happening, over and over again. And honestly, I love the scrappy spirit of our community, it’s a big reason my family and I chose to move here. But the resulting school is now a sprawling, octopus-like complex with a large, inefficient footprint that’s well past the end of its useful life. It’s time to reimagine what kind of schools we want for the next three generations of Cape students.
The new schools will offer flex spaces that allow teachers to adapt to different learning styles, but with the added benefit of a smaller, highly efficient footprint. This opens up a world of possibilities for restoring the historic 1933 portion for new uses, and the promise of more green spaces in the town center.
Great schools aren’t created by simply hiring great teachers. They are made from the ground up with efficiency in mind, consideration of student needs, community input, improved safety, and the support of our entire community.
I live in some of the smallest houses in town, well within earshot of what I hope will soon be the sweet sound of new school construction, because I know that if we don’t do this now, we’ll simply be facing the same dilemma in 15 years but with an even bigger price tag.
