We are the Coalition for Public Education: Expanding Quality Education for Downtown Neighborhoods. We are a group of citizens living in the West End, North End and Beacon Hill who support the development of a new public elementary school facility, for the existing Eliot School, as an integral part of the proposed redevelopment of the Government Center Garage site. There is a real chance that a new public school facility can be built in a notably creative and cost-effective manner if it is financed, designed and constructed as part of the redevelopment of the Government Center Garage, which is now in the preliminary planning stage. The owner and prospective redeveloper of that site, the Raymond Property Company, has indicated their interest in this community-changing possibility. We need to show our local government officials that there is widespread support for a new public school facility in the the downtown area. You can do this by signing our petition today! We feel that our successful downtown neighborhoods are special assets in a city of neighborhoods; and they are now the home to increasing numbers of younger children. However, in the absence of a public school in our area that can accommodate the growing number of children in our neighborhoods many of us are faced with decisions that we should not have to make when our children reach school-age. Should we send our children to public schools elsewhere in the city Many do not. Should we consider private schools Many cannot. Should we move to the suburbs Many do. For better or for worse, the composition and continuity of our neighborhoods depend on the answers to those questions; and their continued vitality will be immeasurably enhanced by the availability of a well designed and well located new public elementary school facility, that would become the new home to the Eliot school, (now located within the North End), to which we can plan to send our children and grandchildren. As voters, taxpayers and parents, we believe in public education and we want to be able to take full advantage of a public elementary school that can become an essential community institution in our downtown neighborhoods.