It was encouraging to read the article, “North Stonington, Lyme among state’s fast-growing economies, (Oct. 2), that indicated that North Stonington is on the cusp of renewed growth due to new businesses moving in. This was particularly refreshing considering that recovery of the town's post-Great Recession property values have significantly lagged other communities in the area. Many real estate agents have attributed this to the long-running uncertainties about the future of Wheeler High School, the same school whose student's SAT scores are as much as 160 points higher than other towns in the region and from which some 93 percent of graduates go on to higher education.

If indeed the town is poised on economic improvement, it becomes all the more important that Wheeler High School remain an outstanding educational institution so that those responding to the availability of good-paying jobs in the town also choose to build or buy in North Stonington, further increasing the tax base.

James H. Patton Jr.

North Stonington