Our Schools, Our Homes

By Sean-Michael Green, Orange Amity Board of Education Candidate

When I decided to run to serve on the Amity Board of Education in this fall’s election, the first questions I received were about my “why.” Why am I willing to volunteer?

The obvious answer is about children. I have three kids in Amity schools – one in Orange’s middle school, and two in the high school. As a father, I want what is best for them. Of course, my kids come with a set of friends and classmates, each with varied goals, interests and challenges. The chance to help craft the policies that influence the opportunities and experiences they will have is a key reason to serve.

Anyone with children can probably relate to the sentiment of wanting to help them. It is somewhere between common sense and altruism. If it was my sole motivation, it might be enough for the parents among us. However, this is not the full story. The other half of my motivation comes from my role as a neighbor and a homeowner. In short: I want to increase the value of our property.

A home is an investment. At some point, we all made the decision about where to invest. Trumbull, Derby, New Haven – we had options. From those options, we chose Orange. The choices were probably complicated. For some of us, we chose specifically for the reputation and quality of Amity schools; for others, it was the hope that the value our property would increase; and both factors are about our schools.

The quality of a school district has a massive effect on property values. The more desirable the school district, the more valuable your property in that district. Schools that lead to great outcomes for their alumni, that offer opportunities and choices to their students and that employ bright and supportive teachers mean higher property values. The decisions we make about our schools will directly impact every homeowner, whether they have children in those schools or not.

The bottom line is that by helping our children, we are helping all of us.

Sean-Michael Green

This article originally appeared in the Milford-Orange Times, October 2.