It’s time to support a renovation of South Portland High School. The current building is in deplorable shape, and has earned us a “warning status” with the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. As a community, we should be embarrassed that this problem has been allowed to fester for so long. We should remember that we went to school once, too. Those buildings didn’t just spring from the ground. A community came together to build those schools because they knew that a good education was fundamental to success in life. Now it’s time to pay that debt forward. It’s time to make sure our kids are fully prepared to thrive in an increasingly complex world.

Some critics have claimed we could spend less and still meet the needs of our students. I ask these critics, “Where were you when many of our good and honest neighbors were volunteering evenings on the Secondary School Facilities Committee? Where is your better plan?” The School Department has a viable plan. It may not be perfect, but it will get the job done.

I am sick and tired of the shrill, angry voices that dominate politics today, but fail to offer anything positive. It’s time to reject those angry voices. It’s time to pull together as a community and create something for which we can all be proud: a safe, modern high school to educate our children. It’s time to make this important investment in our future.

Peter Stanton
South Portland

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