Schools are opening next week and the Boothbay-Boothbay Harbor committees overseeing their operation are still busy finalizing the warrant articles for the future of the high school and elementary school. A joint meeting was held Tuesday, Aug. 29 to finalize and to vote on the wording of the warrant articles for the public’s Nov. 7 vote.

Build a new high school and fix the elementary school’s problems for $89 million? Fix the elementary school for nearly $29 million. Build a new high school for $60 million.

In any case, your taxes will be going up. Hopefully we can all get the information we need to decide what is best for the community and the schools in the next two months. The committees are putting together informational packets/sheets outlining the impact of the costs, what needs to be done to the schools, etc. We will publish that information as we receive it.

The process of planning the project has been a huge undertaking by the people involved and we thank them for their time and effort. Those who have criticized the process via emails, letters, and comments on the newspaper’s websites should have been at the dozens of meetings over the past two-plus years to hear “the whole story,” not just part of it.

The 65-year-old high school and the 46-year-old elementary school need work. Costs to do the work will not go down. Do we “bite the bullet” and get it done now or do we continue to piecemeal the repairs?

Yes, we know about the discussion of building a regional school but there are many hurdles to jump over for that to happen in a timely manner. Meanwhile, the kids have to attend the old schools.

It will be up to you, the voters, to decide. Stay informed and go to the to-be-scheduled public meetings.