I had the unfortunate experience of working in the old RES building for many years when neither building cleanliness nor building maintenance were of particular importance to those in charge.

The building was "sick" and as a result, so was I, along with many of my colleagues, for many miserable years.

Bathroom facilities both for children and adults were dirty, classrooms were unclean, air filters for ventilation systems were not changed for months or years at a time, water leaks and building flooding were just allowed to dry out, and unless you worked in the cafeteria, there was no hot water anywhere in the building. I could go on...

After all of those years of neglect and haphazard cleaning and maintenance schedules, it became evident that the building was unsalvageable and was unfit for human habitation. It was fit only, to be torn down...

Many people worked tirelessly, for endless hours to build a a beautiful new school for the communities of Camden and Rockport.

We now have a custodial and maintenance team that far surpasses any around. They know our building and its needs. They carefully maintain it and keep it sparkling with cleanliness.

And they do so much more! Greg, Bob, Jan, Jon, Ashley, Mark and Patty support us, both our staff and our students in ways too countless to name. They care for our building with pride. They are capable, caring friends who help students to succeed. They are staff members. They are our family. They makes us whole.

It is unimaginable to me that our School Board would even consider the possibility of losing sight of the hard lessons learned in the past, and of undoing the hard work of so many who came before them, because of a figure on a calculator that boasts a savings that in my mind is questionable at best.

It has always been my experience that you get exactly what you pay for.

Sincerely,

Polly S. Gibson
Camden-Rockport Elementary School
Second-grade teacher