Subject: Letter to the Editor

It might be well for Johnson City voters to consider 3 problems before
voting once again on the proposed new school building.  All 3 concern the
welfare of the students.  They are:

1.  Recent research by the US Department of Education shows that small
schools lead to better learning than large ones.
2.  Another study appearing on your pages shows that middle school
students perform better in a separate school building than when attending
classes in a building complex occupied by elementary school students.
3.  It has been shown that a heavy concentration of students in one
isolated location can lead to serious violence.

The question then becomes: If we are now in compliance with the
recommendations of all 3 studies, why must we change.  The 3 schools
scheduled to close are all small; the middle school is now separate; and
only one school occupies the proposed site.

One might also add that by eliminating the schools from downtown makes the
area less family-oriented, a sure way to encourage slum development.

Aldo S. Bernardo
25 Third St
Johnson City, NY 13790
797-1346