Of 132 people who recently took an online, unscientific survey conducted by the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript as of March 1, 70 opposed the ConVal reconfiguration plan, while 52 supported it and seven were undecided. Three were not from the district.

Among the reasons given for no votes were the following:

“I think closing the small schools is a non-starter and that the board needs to think of another way to deal with costs. I recommend closing both middle schools.”

“I feel as though only one solution was seriously considered. That solution has significant negative consequences for the targeted towns.”

“People don’t want big schools. When you move to a small town with kids, it’s because you want them in a small school. On top of that, taxes won’t change.”

“I believe there are other options for how to save money. Trim the fat, starting with administration.”

“There is no plan. The tax savings as stated will not be realized. No impact study for the towns.”

Among people who said they would vote for reconfiguration, these were some of the answers:

“Save costs, lower what you have to pay – not enough kids in class. I went to grammar school with 40 kids-plus in a classroom – turned out fine, college and degrees.”

“The small schools can’t offer the variety of experiences that these young people need. I hear so much about the school being the heart of the community but there are many ‘hearts.’ I think it is a waste of money and resources that could be better spent on improving the offerings at all levels. Temple has one building for approximately 35 students. Not acceptable in this day and age.”

“ConVal spends more per student than other districts and gets less in return, largely due to the expense of keeping up tiny elementary schools with just a handful of students. These kids get fewer enrichment classes than if they were in Peterborough, and yet taxpayers district-wide pay a lot for them to get less, and enrollment keeps dropping.”

“I believe there is such a thing as too-small schools. ConVal has tried to solve this consolidation problem for many, many years. It’s time to do what’s best for children.”

“It’s a step in the right direction to reduce the burden of our taxes.”

Comments from undecided respondents included the following regarding either their biggest concern or what they needed to know before making a decision:

“How much in incremental dollars the reconfiguration plan will save.”

“Have yet to see details.”

“Quantify with specifics just how much of a drain on the educational trust fund, as it impacts ConVal district, is the voucher program (as expanded), charter schools and other draining factors. Assess potential to reverse this draining trend. Assess potential for charters to takeover the eliminated elementary schools. Would we be in fact contributing to the unraveling of public education, rather than sustaining it?”

“I am concerned about doing this and disenfranchising many in our district. I am concerned about not doing this and having students and teachers having their education cut due to an underused building disguised as the heart of a town.”

The Ledger-Transcript thanks everyone who took part in the survey.