To the editor:

Please allow me to challenge your Friday article about the April 2 Northampton School Committee's budget and property subcommittee meeting which misrepresented my statements at a time when many are relying on the Gazette to keep them informed about our deliberations.

With regard to closing an elementary school, what I said at the meeting was that although I agree we need to discuss the full picture of what it means to close a school, including looking at a redistricting plan, I am not in favor of considering this option for the coming year. I was not "flabbergasted" by the superintendent's request; I supported it.

The School Committee has not had the comprehensive discussion necessary, nor do I believe we have adequate time at this point in the year, to make this decision well.

One year ago we spoke of closing a school, and decided we did not have enough information to move forward. Since than, we have not pursued this topic until we were again faced with drastic budget cuts.

While the School Department has provided substantial data, we have not vetted the information, nor am I convinced we have asked for all we need to fully understand such a decision. I recommended that we convene a committee to study the full scope of a future school closing as soon as this budget is set, so that we can decide about this option not from budgetary despair, but from a well-considered stance about what is right and best for Northampton.

What we are facing in our schools and in our city is devastating and infuriating. We are constrained by financial formulas created at state and federal levels that do not consider the unique nature of individual communities. The School Committee is pledged to make the most responsible decisions for the entire school community within the given budgetary constraints. Please continue to be involved with us as we struggle to do just that.

Stephanie Pick

Vice chair

Northampton School Committee