Fund Our Schools

Dear County Commissioners,

My name is Matthew Zadick, and I am the incoming Student Body President at Brentwood High School. I am a student; a student concerned for the well-being of his alma mater and a student concerned with the well-being of every school in the county. I will be a senior next year, the last of four Zadicks to go through the Williamson County School System, and yes, that means the decisions to be made in the upcoming days will not affect me directly, but it affects this community and every community within the county. Community is something to take seriously. It is an idea rooted all around this area, and the relationships seen here are why I write this letter. Voting against Plan A on May 8th will fragment the Brentwood community and disrupt relationships that have taken years to unite.

I sit here, setting aside the numerous other stresses a junior year in Williamson County entails, because I know when something is important, and I know when something is right. Respectfully, I find it disheartening to see kids treated like no more than pawns in a great scheme. Each child deserves the respect of those that oversee their futures, and displacing them in the name of dollars and cents is the wrong approach. Instead, I propose a different solution. I walk the halls of Brentwood High everyday and lack the proper walking space appropriate for a student. The halls are cramped, teachers do not have definite classrooms that they call home, and bathrooms are literally spewing over with sewage. Anyone who has experienced Brentwood High first hand can feel the overcrowding, estimated to be 110% over capacity, and only predicted to grow. Page High has the same problems. Their school is also out of date, their equipment is faulty, and their capacity also surpasses 110%. These numbers will only grow, and I urge those overseeing the future of these schools to understand simply rezoning is not the solution. It is time to take affirmative action. Instead of merely brushing aside the problem for a later date, which only complicates and clouds the future, funding must come now to the schools in desperate need. There is a proposition to renovate Brentwood High School and Brentwood Middle School, and I ask for funding to come swiftly. If these plans do not come to fruition, backs are being turned on institutions that have educated and supported countless students and families for over forty years. A vote against Plan A in this upcoming debate would be ignoring the needs at hand.   Saying no to Brentwood Middle, Brentwood High and Page, is saying no to every other school in the county. Fairview, Independence, Summit, and other elementary schools will suffer if the main problems in front of us are not dealt with today.  This choice deserves a thoughtful response, and taking affirmative action would do wonders for the morale of the county. It would show a commission committed to the well-being of each and every student, a commission ready to take steps forward, and a commission ready to impart a lasting legacy.

My intention here is not to show ignorance and disrespect. I only want what is best for the area I call home. Please understand my position and I ask only that my voice be heard and my points be considered. I thank you in advance for taking time to read my thoughts, as I know time is a not an abundant asset.

Thank you for your attention,

Matthew Zadick

Brentwood High School Student Body President