Cape is getting closer to a solution

BY JEREMY LAW

I have been closely following the school bond debate over the past few years and have attended many meetings while we’ve worked as a town to solve this challenging problem. Although I was disappointed that the bond proposal didn’t pass on November 5, I was very encouraged by our town’s progress towards finding a solution.

166 votes. That’s how close the vote on the school bond was. And while the bond lost, so much ground was made up. The 2022 school bond lost by 1,480 votes. Cape is getting closer to finding a solution to fix our schools. Two architecture firms and an independent third-party Owner’s Rep have said that replacing the middle school and making updates at Pond Cove and the high school is the right path. If we continue to educate ourselves about the needs and have good faith discussions, we can find a solution that will pass.

I’m glad the School Board is continuing to work with Harriman to revise the Middle Ground plan. We don’t need paralysis by analysis, we need community feedback to refine this plan into one a majority of Cape voters will say yes to.

I know this debate has been contentious but hard problems require hard discussions and eventually hard decisions. The latest vote gives me confidence that with a bit more work, we’ll get there as a town.