Essex Voters:  Thank You

To the Editor,

We wanted to take a moment to say thank you to the people of Essex who came out to vote in support of our schools.  A special thanks goes out to everyone who did any task, big or small, loud or quiet, to get this result for our children.  We also wanted to give a “shout out” to our teachers.  You continued to provide effective instruction and support for our students during challenging and uncertain times.  Thank you to Ruth Pereen for her six years of service, and to Annie Cameron for stepping up to the Board of Selectmen.
While this was a great outcome, please remember that this year’s budget required $750,000 in MERSD reserves and Essex applied $50,000 in stabilization funds.  We are not out of the woods.  Additionally, the Essex Elementary School building project is in the works.  Robust public schools require constant engagement and advocacy from their communities to be at their best and healthiest.  We urge school supporters to stay informed, stay active, and commit to continuing to vote. 
There are so many ways to show up for your community in addition to voting: attending a meeting, volunteering for a town committee, or simply introducing yourself to a neighbor.  We are all in this together, and together we can foster a caring community where people of all generations can live together in peace.
In uncertain times, one thing is certain.  If we commit to engage and show up for causes that we care about, we can affect local change.

Let’s keep it up.