Resident sees hidden cost in voting down referendum I have attended meetings and read the letters and e-mails concerning the new school referendum for the Upper Freehold Regional School District. The time to approve a new school is now. The money from the state may not be available at a future date. The cost of steel is skyrocketing. It’s not just the cost of the steel frame but the cost of many miles of electrical wires and conduit that will continue to rise if we wait. A vote of no will not save you money. The children are coming. This is not debatable. We are just like every other community in the area that has allowed housing to grow exponentially without proper planning for schools and recreation. Our current Board of Education and school administrators have come up with a building proposal that has the future of the community in mind. Without a new school, our children will be in an overcrowded building surrounded by portable classrooms. I work in a high school that has suffered from the effects of overcrowding. There are a number of very important issues concerning overcrowding that have not been discussed. It is very difficult to hire and keep quality people in an overcrowded school. Highly motivated, young, ambitious teachers who have to move from classroom to classroom carrying supplies on a cart look elsewhere for employment. Teaching children in the cafeteria, auditorium or a portable classroom is not attractive. Our school administrators will constantly be looking for new teachers. Continuity of education will suffer. It has been stated that the high cost of portable classrooms will mean a reduction in sports and programs that are now offered. The hidden cost is the morale of the teaching staff. It is very difficult to keep a faculty happy when things like computers and other educational media break and can’t be replaced. For how many years will our teachers have to make do with less? Portable classrooms are not attractive to educators. They are difficult to maintain and are not a good environment for learning. Many surrounding communities have built very nice new buildings with wide hallways, large gymnasiums and very modern classrooms wired for the 21st century. These new schools are attractive to prospective teachers and administrators. Their classrooms will not be overcrowded. The number of students per class is a hot issue with teachers. Just look at any recent teacher contract negotiations. The lower the classroom enrollment, the more attractive the school becomes. If we don’t approve this referendum, how will we continue to attract quality educators like we now have? Please vote yes for the Upper Freehold Regional middle school referendum. We cannot afford to wait. Mark Bramble Upper Freehold