To the Editor:

I am writing this letter to ask the Princeton community to join me in supporting the upcoming school facilities referendum. My family moved to Princeton 15 years ago, in part due to the wonderful reputation of the schools. A product of public schools myself, it was important to me to raise my kids in a community that values public education.

I consider my four kids lucky to be able to attend the fine schools that Princeton has to offer. At the same time, I am embarrassed by the appalling conditions at Princeton High School. 

For those of you who think the district’s plan is extravagant and unnecessary, please open your eyes to the reality that our high school children face on a daily basis.

• Lunch for over half of the students is typically picnic style on the hallway floors due to an undersized cafeteria and lack of other common spaces where eating at a table might be an option. 

• Exams in the old gym entail 80-90 degree indoor temperatures due to lack of air conditioning, with children falling ill due to heat and hospitalized due to mold. Imagine taking critical exams in these conditions. 

• Brown liquid oozing from the ceiling of your classroom into a bucket that remains on the floor for months.

• Classes filled to the point where there are not enough desks for the enrolled students, with some having to perch on the ledges by the windows or on the radiators.

• Crowded hallways packed with students keeping you and your teacher from getting from one part of the building to another in time for the bell.

If you choose to dismiss this as an exaggeration, I invite you to take the time to visit the school yourself.

Improving high school facilities is not an option in my opinion. Voting “yes” to both referendum questions is imperative. We must do what is right for the wellness of our kids. Great towns build great schools. Princeton High School will not continue to be great without improved facilities.

Julie Ramirez

Stone Cliff Road