A Petition about the pending proposal to close MM Elementary School Circulated by Working Together for Amherst Education PO Box 3248 Amherst MA 01004 We the undersigned believe that at this time, Spring 2009, voting on eliminating programs, closing a school, or redistricting is premature. We feel that the Amherst School Committee has not carefully considered ALL the options available to address the educational and budgetary concerns of the Amherst community. We propose that the School Committee engage in a review period to begin once the new Superintendent has started, for the purpose of scheduling a series of public forums, to hear the voices of the following constituencies and to involve them in the decision making process: 1) The existing four elementary school Principals 2) The incoming Superintendent 3) More Amherst residents Additionally the following information need be presented at these public forums: 4) Line by line item 2008-2009 income and expense report for all four elementary schools, by school, generated by the District Finance and Operations Manager, Rob Detweiler. Only then, based on the inclusion of the groups listed above and access to the actual financial information, can the town make sound decisions for the future of the Amherst school district.

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