Last chance to get your opinion heard…
The survey closes this Friday… the results will help the School Board provide direction to the Administration to tell the School Board the impact- financial, educational, social and logistical – for a reconfiguration of our schools…
The recent NESDEC study shows that our student enrollment decline will continue.
We have 4 school campuses right now, with 1600 students. School Districts with 2200 have 4 buildings.
We have sufficient capacity in 3 of our buildings to educate our children, the study shows.
Do we need to be paying the $550K each year to keep a 4th open? Is that the best and highest use for taxpayer dollars?
One of the options for your opinion is whether to close the Middle School and move grades 7 & 8 to the High School, for a segregated and safe Junior High experience.
The only other question is your preference for elementary school configuration.
They can stay as they are, for ongoing costs if that is what voters want to pay for.
Or they can be reconfigured with all students from both towns going first to one, then to the other. At a savings each year of close to $1Million.
The Superintendent has told us he wants spending increases in some areas, like Professional Development, spending reserves, Specialists for Early Childhood literacy, Math and other programs as well as better maintenance of our buildings…all to amount to increases of $2.5 M phased in over coming years.
He has stated that as much as possible he wants to shift monies from other programs. BUT it is up to the voters to determine our priorities in those shifts…the survey is one step to telling what you want.
I have my preferences for this. I ask that you complete the survey and tell what yours are.
We voters determine what we are willing to get taxed to pay for with this non-binding survey, with our votes at the Deliberative Session in February and at the polls in March, and by running for office, especially for the School Board which has decision-making authority on how our money gets spent.
There have been about 500 responses so far, I am told. Is yours one of them? If not, you still have time. Do it now, please!