To the Editor:

Mr. Allard and company, have you no concern for the taxpayers of Goffstown?

In January, the PUBLIC at the public hearing for the proposed budgets said in so many words that the school board wants too much.

The Goffstown Budget Committee sent a trimmed down budget to the School Board, giving the message that they asked for too much.

In February , the PUBLIC at the School Deliberative Session voted down the school board's request for their original budget request.

In March, the VOTERS, by selecting the lower of the two budget offerings, decided that the school board can operate on less money.

In order to facilitate the 'less money' available situation, the School Board proposes reductions in headcount and blames the Budget Committee for doing what the PUBLIC wanted.

Now, in April, the School Board is discussing the purchase of a very expensive Voice-Over-IP telephone system costing more money than they will 'save' by chopping heads.  They will wait until the very end of the fiscal year (June 30, 2010) and they will decide to go ahead if the money is available, and we will have no say - NONE! 

With all due respect: fund accounting and fiscal calendars be damned, what is this School Board doing? 

• There are hundreds of budget lines that could directly serve the education of children better than this very expensive Voice-Over-IP telephone system, and the financial master minds at the School Board and the SAU could, if they so desired, legally wiggle and giggle the dollars appropriately.

• Just how critical is this fancy very expensive Voice-Over-IP telephone system in this time of economic distress?  At a cost of around $100 per student, what do we really get and why do we really need it?  We don't.  It's simply that the school board really wants it.

What gives, Mr. Allard and company?  Have you no concern for the taxpayers of Goffstown?  How about the students?


Bill Gordon
Goffstown