We the undersigned residents of Tisbury support a more fiscally responsible, environmentally appropriate, historically sensitive and culturally fitting solution that will meet the academic needs of our students for years to come at a more appropriate cost to our taxpayers.

To make an informed decision, Tisbury voters should consider the following facts to understand how big a school we actually need.

A 2015 national school construction report pegged the square foot per student ratio nationally at 188 square feet per student, and for Massachusetts at 214 square feet per student.

We have used figures from the following sources to prepare this analysis: Massachusetts School Building Authority, Tisbury school building committee reports, Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education district profile reports, and official town assessment records.

Our current school is 56,000 square feet with an enrollment of around 300 students. This is 186 square feet per student.

The Oak Bluffs School is 95,000 square feet. With its current full enrollment of around 426 students, it has 223 square feet per student.

The Edgartown School is 78,055 square feet It was originally designed for 550 to 600 students, which would have been 141 square feet per student. Currently the school has 328 students, at 237 square feet per student.

The West Tisbury School is 61,000 square feet with an enrollment of 352 students; it has 173 square feet per student.

The proposed new school will be 76,000 square feet, for a projected enrollment of 285 students and would have 267 square feet per student.

This is above the national and state averages, and above all the other schools on the Island.

The Cabot School in the Newton school district, currently undergoing an extensive addition and renovation project right now with the Massachusetts School Building Authority, was built in 1929, was 41,000 square feet and had 449 students for 91 square feet per student. Newton will add 44,000 square feet of new space to the Cabot School and increase enrollment to 480 students for 177 square feet per student. This MSBA project when completed ends up less than the existing Tisbury School per student ratio.

The largest contributing factor to the overbuild is having two classrooms per grade, and since we chose new construction, we are forced through the MSBA to build to the new standards, which would not have been the case given a renovation/addition project.

Using the Oak Bluffs ratio, we should be building 63,550 square feet of school for Tisbury, not 76,000 square feet. The 12,500-square-foot difference would result in a cost savings of around $6.5 million on new construction. A renovation and addition option could reduce this number by at least another $4 million.

A general misconception is that new construction is less expensive than renovation. This is simply not the case. Base renovation on our current 56,000-square-foot school was estimated to be $20 million or $360 per square foot. This would be a complete restoration with new heating, ventilation, electric, windows, interior finishes, everything.

We also know that construction costs for the proposed new building are $513 per square foot. In comparison if you averaged these two costs you arrive at $436 per square foot. To further support this, look at the Cabot School, which is half renovation and half addition, and is being constructed for $426 per square foot.

A renovation and addition project may reduce the cost substantially to the town by close to $11 million. This savings may increase if the MSBA continues to participate. An addition to our current building of roughly 8,000 square feet would bring our academic program in line with some of the other schools on the Island that are closer to the Massachusetts average. We spend less money either way.

Please consider voting no on April 24 on the Proposition 2 1/2 override, to allow the town to develop this considerably better alternative.

Ben Robinson
Vineyard Haven

The writer is chairman of the Tisbury planning board. This letter was also signed by Paul Cefola, Bruce Lewellyn, Rachel Orr, Tony Peak, Jimmy Rogers, Dan Seidman, Henry Stephenson, Denys and Marilyn Wortman and others.