A YES on the Shrewsbury 2 1/2 override on June 3 is a wise investment.

Shrewsbury residents have a wonderful opportunity to make an investment in our children and our community by voting YES for the 2 ½ override

The cost of this investment is $400 for the average property owner. It will add $5.5M to a town budget of over $100 million dollars. The additional revenue will pay for $1.3M needed town expenses (police and public building personnel, and replacement of old equipment), and $4.2M school expenses (hiring new teachers to bring all class sizes below 30, replacing out of date books, and covering mandated Special Education needs).

The benefit of this investment is assuring public safety and proper community maintenance, and returning our schools to the statewide eminence which they have lost. In 2013 after having been in the top 24% of state schools on MCAS scoring (a level 1 school), Shrewsbury dropped to being in the top 57% (a level 2 school).

As a retiree on fixed income, as a former teacher (7 years in Catholic high schools, 3 years as an education researcher at Cornell University, and four years as Director of Mathematics at Shrewsbury HS), as a 30 year veteran of IBM whose best two years was working with new employees, and as a parent and a grandparent, I totally support this investment. The value of our children and of our life together in Shrewsbury is worth this cost.