To the editor:
We, as current students of Princeton High School, are writing to urge the Princeton Board of Education to vote to renew the send-receive agreement with Cranbury.
There are several reasons why it is vital to renew this agreement. One is the financial impact that terminating the agreement would have on the schools. The tuition that is paid by Cranbury is the second largest portion of the operating budget for the Princeton Public Schools, making up 6 percent of the total revenue for the district. According to a projection shown in the April 24 Princeton Board of Education meeting, if we broke off the agreement with Cranbury, the financial losses in four years would be equivalent to losing about one quarter of the staff members at Princeton High School.
In addition, terminating the send-receive relationship would not replace the need for a referendum. The district would still be overcapacity in all of the schools, including the high school.
Most importantly, Cranbury students are a vital part of the community of Princeton High School. They are our peers and our friends. They are the people with whom we eat lunch, engage in clubs and activities, and lament the lack of sleep that we all receive. We are so lucky to have them at Princeton High School and in our lives.
The ideal goal of every school is to be the center of its community. The send-receive relationship with Cranbury has gone one step beyond that goal; it has created a joint community between Princeton and Cranbury because of the schools.
We understand that it is a difficult time and that many people are worried about the impact of the referendum. However, it is not acceptable to attack our fellow students and send a message to them that they do not belong.
The towns of both Cranbury and Princeton are filled with people who are incredibly engaged in their communities. Let us all come together to discuss our concerns and our ideas for solutions as a community, rather than creating a sense of hostility towards students in our schools.
Carolina De Sousa Lima Azevado
Nandeeta Bala
Taarika Bala
Calum Binnie
Meghan Callahan
Fernando Cuj
Matthew Dodds
Sam Harshbarger
Gillian Hauschild
Yoselin Hernandez
Leah Hirschman
Anisha Iyer
Ella Kotsen
Kirin Kunukkasseril
Nina Li
Colleen Linko
Kevin Linko
Brian Lu
Christian Martin
Katie McDonnell
Lisa Mishra
Mitzy Monterroso
Sanyukta Mudakannavar
Irina Mukhametzhanova
Jill Palumbo
Amanda Rubin
Raisa Rubin-Stankiewicz
Ruth Schultz
Zoe Stokes
Valeria Torres-Olivares
Amy Wang
Leah Williamson
