Copyright berkshireeagle
To the editor: On Nov. 4, voters in the Berkshire Hills Regional School District face a choice that only looks difficult. In truth, it’s no choice at all. We will spend roughly $90 million either way — on a crumbling, 1960s-era high school that no longer meets our students’ needs, or on a modern facility that will serve generations to come. The only real question is whether we want to buy the past or invest in the future. The commonwealth is offering an extraordinary deal: $62 million toward a new Monument Mountain Regional High School. That subsidy vanishes if we choose “repair.” Renovating the existing building — outdated, inefficient, and full of hidden costs — would cost about the same, yield no reimbursement, and still leave us with a patched-up relic. Anyone who’s ever owned a “fixer-upper” knows how that story ends. But this vote is about more than bricks and mortar. The current Monument was designed when classrooms were boxes and “vocational” meant shop class. Today’s education requires flexible labs, collaborative spaces, and integrated technology. You can’t retrofit 21st-century learning into a 20th-century frame. Research is unequivocal: students in modern, well-designed schools achieve more — not just in test scores, but in confidence, motivation and long-term success. Quality facilities also help attract and retain talented teachers, which matters more to student outcomes than any other single factor. Finally, this vote is about what kind of community we want to be. Strong schools attract families and employers; tired facilities drive them away. A new Monument signals vitality and pride. It tells our children — and the next generation of residents — that we believe in their future here. If you think it’s hard to find a doctor now, imagine the future when professionals choose not to live here because our schools no longer meet the standard of a thriving community. Whether you care most about education, property values, or community renewal, the conclusion is the same: the cost of doing the right thing is no higher than the cost of doing the wrong one. On Nov. 4, vote yes for a new Monument Mountain Regional High School — a decision as practical as it is visionary. Peter J. Most, Great Barrington
