A letter to the Lowell sun

Here is a very well written letter by a resident of Lowell on the high school project. I think it echoes the sentiment of most families with children in the Lowell public school system. Although it was written before this past election, it is a reflection of how most parents feel. Admit it, you are sick of the High School Debate, aren’t you? After 18 months of study and debate, over 60 informational meetings and following the MSBA’s process to the letter, the Cawley site was legally selected as the location that best suits the needs of our students and teachers. This was the right decision in June and it is the right decision now. Want further proof? Rewind to February 2014 when the city reached out to respected community leaders like Elkin McCallum, George Behrakis, Bob Caruso, Mark O’Neill, Carol Cowen and Sal Lupoli. This panel agreed – Lowell High must be moved for the sake of our students and so the downtown could be revitalized. Now try this. Remove “Lowell” from the equation and think this through. The MSBA wants to give a city $200 million to build a high school, a panel of that city’s respected business and community leaders agree that new is better, and the majority of that city’s elected Councilors (the group actually charged with siting the school) chooses the site for a new build. How could that decision be derailed? To answer this, you have to put “Lowell” back into the equation, and in particular five numbers… 01852. That’s the Belvidere zip code, and home to the four dissenting City Councilors who get the majority of their donations and over 30% of their votes from two Belvidere precincts. They voted to keep the High School out of their neighborhood, lost the vote, and then refused to unite the city. On the flip side, the five Councilors that supported Cawley put our community and the needs of our kids in front of their own political agendas. They saw through the smoke screens of inflated, unsubstantiated, costs as well as the use of the City’s children and their perceived needs as shields to moving Lowell into a new era of success. And if that wasn’t enough, five members of our existing School Committee (three 01852 residents) sued the city after being told by several legal professionals they had no standing. They lost, but still hold a possible appeal over the City and the MSBA to further delay the process long enough to use next week’s election to swap the deck. Simply put, Belvidere politicians that were on the wrong end of the decision are delaying the process and costing Lowell millions. Sadly, dividing the City works for these folks because it strengthens their stranglehold. We’ve lived with it for years, and we’re seeing it play out again. With over $40,000 of funds from 01852, the Save Lowell High campaign is dispensing a flood of misinformation, playing big money political games and accessing high paid political consultants to confuse us, or have voters just give up altogether. Please don’t take the bait. Deferring to Belvidere again will result in enormous tax increases, a loss of hundreds of students, our best teachers moving on, a five to six year construction project paralyzing downtown, and worst case, $200 million from the state evaporating. Why? Because that is what some in Belvidere are counting on. They don’t want traffic or kids in their neighborhood. They want to tell you what is best for you, your family and the City. Whether you live in the Highlands, Centerville, Back Central, the Acre, Pawtucketville, Downtown or South Lowell, five numbers… 01852 wants to decide your fate. But here’s the secret to solving this. VOTE. You don’t need to donate tens, hundreds or thousands of dollars to PAC’s or Ballot Committees. You don’t need to spend hours holding signs or making phone calls. All you need to do is show up on November 7th and vote and you will be just as powerful as anyone else in this city. Please do yourself and the city a favor, show up and vote. Help the Councilors (Corey Belanger, Rodney Elliott, Jim Leary, Rita Mercier and Dan Rourke) who made the hard choice remain in their seats, looking out for every neighborhood of this city not just one. John Kuczek is a lifelong resident of Lowell and father of three children attending Lowell public schools.