To the Editor:

Like many of you, we moved to Princeton two decades ago in large part because of the community’s support of its public schools. Our daughter graduated from Princeton High School in 2020; we feel incredibly grateful that she has been privileged to receive an excellent education that helped her become a well-prepared, caring citizen with a strong support network among her classmates, teachers, and community.

We as a family see the January 28 School Referendum as an opportunity to express our gratitude to Princeton and to pay it forward by making sure that today’s and tomorrow’s young families have the same opportunities that our daughter has been given.

We will be voting yes to all three questions on the ballot, knowing that Question 1 must pass for Question 2 to be considered, and Question 2 must pass for Question 3 to be considered.

There are a number of advantages for our community if it passes all three Questions at the same time: the current fiscal environment will allow our community to take advantage of lower-cost bond financing and state support; renovations will be more effective by leveraging economies of scale; and reductions in operating costs will happen sooner by installing more-efficient and greener energy systems more expeditiously.

We are very aware that it is not easy to ask our fellow residents to pay more in taxes. However, we also know that this community has a proud tradition of making the necessary investments in our public schools to make sure that every child has the opportunities they need in order to thrive and lead productive and happy lives. Everyone wants what is best for their own children and grandchildren — we are proud to be a part of a community that counts all of the children in its schools as its own children.

We urge you to vote yes to Questions 1, 2, and 3 when you vote on January 28.

Greg Stankiewicz
Julia Sass Rubin
Jefferson Road

Stankiewicz is statewide coordinator for the New Jersey Community Schools Coalition and served as a member of the Princeton Board of Education from 2017 to 2019. Rubin is on the faculty of and serves as associate dean of academic programs for the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers.