Tensions in Croydon continue as the special school district meeting scheduled for 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 7, at Camp Coniston approaches.
We have gotten confirmation that newly registered voters will be able to vote. We are happy to have learned that the supervisors of the checklist are meeting on Wednesday, May 4, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Town Hall to process new voter registrations. New voters will also be able to register on the day of the special meeting on Saturday, May 7, from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. If you are not yet registered to vote, please make sure to get to the Town Hall on May 4 or arrive early to the special meeting to register on May 7.
At the center of this controversy are Croydon’s children, who have continued to offer written testimonials about their educational experiences and their worries, should the May 7 meeting not lead to an increased budget that would support a fully funded and adequate education.
Caity Almstrom, a senior at Newport Middle High School (NMHS), “enjoyed all the great field trips, holiday celebrations, family fun days, and growing up (in the) more protected, safe environment,” afforded by Croydon Village School (CVS). All of what she notes there is on the line with the $800,000 budget. She thinks, “It would be a shame to make changes to the school and not give the current … and future students the same opportunities.”
Greysan Beaulieu, also a senior, is wrapping up her K-12 education via homeschooling. She attended CVS with Caity and eventually moved on to Newport Montessori. She noted, “I am so thankful for the opportunity to have gone there and what it did for me and I can only hope that Croydon kids will continue to get to go there because it is a truly amazing school.” Although its tuition is significantly less than area public schools, a fact touted by proponents of the $800,000 budget, it does not have space for the Croydon students currently attending public schools, if they wanted to transfer there.
Tommy Spiker has garnered some attention lately as a junior at NMHS enrolled in the technical center’s welding program. He shared: “I love the enthusiasm from some of the (NMHS) teachers. The history teacher … has a very different way of teaching that genuinely made me interested in U.S. history for the first time this year.” If unable to finish high school at NMHS, Tommy said, “I know I would miss the technical center because they have many great trades programs for students that will give a better chance to lead them into a great future career.” He elaborated further: “I know this proposed budget could ruin me going to Newport, [and] I know that all Newport students are behind us. Even though it has little to nothing to do with them, they still back all of us up. It truly means a lot knowing that other towns care.”
Another student, a sophomore at Sunapee Middle High School, anonymously shared her fear, if she were unable to continue at SMHS: “I would miss all my classmates and friends. Some of the people I go to school with, I’ve known for 10 years, and most of them I’ve known for more than five, and I really value that and would hate to be separated from them.”
As a parent and voting resident, I am frustrated and stressed about the situation in my town. I am not alone in losing sleep, worrying about the future. George Packer, in his March 10, 2022, essay in The Atlantic, “The Grown-Ups Are Losing It,” highlights what is at stake: public education is “our core civic institution — not just because, ideally, it brings children of all backgrounds together in a classroom, but because it prepares them for the demands and privileges of democratic citizenship. Or at least, it needs to.”
We are looking forward to the special meeting on May 7 and hope to see the true representation of Croydon residents who are 100% behind the public education that every child deserves!