This post was originally written in 2003 but is every bit as applicable today, especially in light of the fact that at least three new Taj Mahal schools have been built despite proof of declining student enrollment in the State of NH.
Our extremely popular, “It Takes A School to Bankrupt a Village” bumper-stickers are once again available by clicking on the name and going to our Cafe Press store.
We have sent out about 1,000 so far and have had requests for them from all over the country. New Hampshire taxpayers may not know why education has become so expensive in recent years so here is a hint. Back in 1999 school districts all over NH started promoting school construction/renovation bonds in surprisingly similar amounts and duration. The bonds were for roughly $20 million and for twenty years duration. Why were they so alike? Because many of the projects address needs or wants in elementary, middle and high-schools all at once. This technique garners votes from each “interest block” in the school. No matter if smaller projects could be done over time, the “all or nothing” bonds were what was on the group-think agenda. All you need do is look at the record of bond sales for 1999 sold by The NH Municipal Bond Bank. Bond sales skyrocketed that year. Some schools saw declining enrollments on the horizon and jumped at the chance to pass bonds before the public caught on.
Another bonus for the school builders was the unconstitutional change in the supermajority required to pass bonds in Senate Bill #2 Schools. This setup a scenario where the supermajority was lowered from 2/3 to 3/5 and the taxpayers were more likely to get tagged by the scheme.
CNHT has fought this action all along and became aware of what was going on long before anyone else. School building should be done when needed not because some superintendent wants to fluff his resume. And that is why our bumper sticker is so poignant and popular.
Display it with pride.