I am writing regarding the new Fruit Street School and districting.   Along with many other residents I am trying to weigh all the information provided and make a decision factoring in many concerns.  I have attended informational forums and still have many questions on whether this is the right choice for our town and student body.  Let me start by saying that Center School does need to be addressed.  How that will be addressed, is something I am still uncomfortable with.  I do respect all the effort that the School Committee has put into this project.  For me there was a misunderstanding on…

I am writing this letter to express my opposition to school districting in Hopkinton.  While I truly believe Hopkinton needs a new school for our kindergarten and first-grade children, I am forced to vote No at this point in time to approve money to build a new school on Fruit Street, due to the fact that districting is tied to it. I am concerned that people may not fully realize how much this change will negatively affect our community. While I have many reasons for being against districting in a town of our size, I am going to focus on a few key points: 1.) how this will divide our town; 2…

As a mother who has had two of her three sons attend Center School, I was involved as a parent volunteer and spent many an hour inside the building, never really putting much thought to its infrastructure. I just focused on the education and warmth my children received.  I love that building and often expressed to others my fondness for its "old charm" look and feel.  After having recently gone on a tour of the building, my thinking on its fitness as a place of learning has changed drastically. Before you vote, I urge you all to take time to learn the severity of the problems that are …

I am writing to voice my opinion against the current K-5 School plan and a new school on Fruit Street. I do feel that we need a replacement for Center School but I believe a less expensive alternative is a K-1 replacement school. Currently our children start and finish their elementary education experience together and get to know each other from kindergarten through their senior year of high school. This is a positive aspect of how we do it here in Hopkinton. As far as the transition to a new school, Hopkinton does an excellent job preparing our students prior to and upon entry into the new …

I am new to Hopkinton.  My husband Mike and I moved to town in July with our 3-year-old son.  We are among the many young families that are attracted to the town of Hopkinton for many reasons.  The most important to me as a parent is the stellar school system that has been built here.  I am writing this letter to support a new elementary school on Fruit Street and changing the town's elementary schools to K-5 schools. In my quest to become involved in the town and specifically involve myself with other parents of school-age children, I attended a meeting at The Center School.  My attendance …

I am writing in favor of the proposed new K-5 school on Fruit Street. I was a member of the Hopkinton Public Schools Strategic Plan Committee in 2009 along with a representative sample of Hopkinton residents, ranging in age from High School students to Senior Citizens. At that time we participated in focus groups and we discussed the pros and cons of moving to the K-5 educational model. The outcome was making the switch to K-5 neighborhood schools a priority goal in the HPS strategic plan. Hopkinton has patiently followed the MSBA procedures these last couple of years and it is finally our …

I am writing to express support for three elementary school districts for Hopkinton. I know many residents are nervous about the concept of districted schools since this is something that has never been done here. While it is natural to be nervous about the unknown, we should recognize that the decision to move to districted elementary schools has not been taken lightly by our elected and appointed officials. It has been done through a long, thoughtful and open process over the last several years. Many years ago when the number of students in a given grade in Hopkinton was only 50-100, it …