My family and I moved into the Otsego School district in 1990. Settling in the wonderful town of Grand
Rapids. We chose this area because we wanted our children to go to the school in their hometown. The
interaction of the children, parents and teachers was more than we could ever hope for. My children
played softball in the summer, swam at the pool, played in the park and made life long friends. They
shared homework time with the neighbors, talked about good days and bad days at school on the walk home
from school. Made their own fun on the way walking to school. There were no crowded bus rides that took
forever with all the safety rules to abide by. (At least to an 8 year old).
Now I understand that the five-member school board and the superintendent want to change the children’s
lives and ours by sending them all on long bus rides mixed with children from other towns to a central
campus.
There are many families that have settled in rural school districts just like Grand Rapids, Weston, and
Haskins for the same reasons we did. If we centralize we will be no different than the inner city school
(large and impersonal). Our communities will suffer. Enrollment will go down. Home building will slow.
Businesses will suffer and maybe close.
I ask (no I tell) the school board to reconsider this decision. It is not good for the children first.
Second it is not good for our community. Third we can’t and don’t want to afford it.
Tim Miley
Grand Rapids