At the Save Ardmore Coalition we feel that the Lower Merion School District has not been acting in the best interest of anyone in Ardmore. The community of Ardmore and Ardmore's children are not being considered fairly. To that end, we release the following statement from Sharon B. Eckstein, President of Save Ardmore Coalition:

The Save Ardmore Coalition does not support the recent redistricting plan proposed by the Lower Merion School District (Plan 3). The Save Ardmore Coalition (SAC) believes that maintaining a walkable Ardmore community is critical if Ardmore is to maintain its unique character and is to flourish in the years ahead.

Ardmore school children live in the most walkable neighborhood of Lower Merion yet are bussed the farthest distance for both their elementary school and middle school years. This hardship has been offset by the fact that Ardmore's teenagers could walk to their neighborhood high school, Lower Merion High School.

LMSD Redistricting Plan 3 proposes to bus these Ardmore students, who currently walk to their high school, to one located miles away. It undercuts the Township's goal of promoting walkability and fostering a pedestrian friendly lifestyle through its Ardmore revitalization efforts.

With Redistricting Plan 3, we have Lower Merion Township promoting transit-oriented development and touting the benefits of population density and a "live, work, play" community in Ardmore while simultaneously, the School District proposes transferring Ardmore students away from the high school located here in Ardmore! To do so not only negates the needs of Ardmore's current walking-based community, but also undermines our efforts to increase walking, cycling and the use of public transit in day to day life.

The addition of more buses to Lower Merion's already traffic congested roads will impact the quality of life to all who drive in our Township. Plan 3 is environmentally irresponsible since it increases pollution; it is financially irresponsible since the LMSD will incur an additional transportation cost to bus teenagers from hundreds of Ardmore homes. Residents of Ardmore love Ardmore precisely because it is walkable.

We choose to live in Ardmore because it a community where neighbors know each other, walk on sidewalk filled streets to shops, offices and houses of worship located in our midst and look forward to our children being able to walk to high school. For these reasons, SAC urges the LMSD to honor the value of walkability for all of students and to continue to allow all Ardmore children the ability to attend Lower Merion High School.

Sharon B. Eckstein
President
Save Ardmore Coalition