To the editor:

Well, they’ve finally done it! After years of trying, they have finally voted to close Robertson Elementary School.

While everyone in our community thought that the school was not up for closure this year, all but one of our elected School Board members voted to close it. They voted to close it without anyone in the community having a voice, offering opinion or offering other solutions.

Why did they do it this way? They didn’t want to hear, “Please don’t close our school” from the citizens of Whaleyville. Well, it is the job of Diane Foster and other School Board members to hear the voices and concerns of the taxpaying parents in this community. We do not appreciate the sneaky manner in which this was handled.

We would like to make the point that our children do not have another school close by that they can go to. Our 6-year-old will be on a school bus over an hour each way no matter where you send her.

Is there even a plan for where the children from Robertson will go? All we hear when we ask is that they will be putting trailers on the grounds of other schools, so really there is no room for our kids at another school.

How cost effective is it to move, set up, heat and cool numerous trailers? There will also be additional transportation costs at a time when the price of fuel is on the rise. Let’s get a plan in place before we make hasty decisions!

Finally, to City Council: Fund our schools! We’ve been hearing that Suffolk was voted one of the 100 best small cities to live in, and we have to ask, “Why?” Our taxes are possibly going up, trash collection could be charged, and you can’t manage to give our School Board the funds it needs to educate our children?

The people of Whaleyville pay taxes, just like those on the northern end of the city, and we deserve to have a school in our community. Don’t raise our taxes and close our children’s school and then spend money refurbishing downtown!

How much does it cost to operate the Suffolk Center for the Cultural Arts? How much did the signs claiming the greatness of the City of Suffolk cost?

We’ve all had to wise up in these tough economic times and live within our means. It’s time the city did the same.

Mike and Sherry Huffman
Suffolk