The Hayfield School Board voted to consider closing Brownsdale Elementary School (BES). Concerned citizens believe the loss of BES would have a negative effect on the whole school district and many have been waging a petition campaign to avert this action.

This past fall, the school district passed a levy for $851.78 per student. We thought this would halt the talk of closing down our school only to be informed that “levies are for learning,” and “bonds are for building.” A report (who many feel is inflated and full of discrepancies) determined that Hayfield School facilities combined are in need of $14.5 million in school repairs and updates (BES: $2.5 million).

BES and our awesome teachers pull in families who want their children to start school close to home even when they live within a few miles of other school districts. BES also drew in 12 open enrolled students at $6,000 per student. Since 2007 BES’s enrollment has increased by 14.1 percent while Hayfield Elementary has decreased by 17.8 percent and the high school by 16.7 percent.

Now they want to close BES?  No doubt, they will ask our entire district to help pass a possible $12-14 million school bond in the near future. This school district is in trouble and it needs all of us to fix it. Sign the petition at the Cenex station in Brownsdale and Ryan’s Foods in Hayfield. Let the school board realize that we’re all in this together.

Bonnie Williams, Austin