To the Editor:

Reductions to the school budget funding proposed by the Goffstown Budget Committee differ drastically from the reductions proposed by the Superintendent on Monday, January 3, 2011. 

The carefully crafted motion put forth by the Budget Committee did not specify any reduction in teaching staff nor did it specify elimination of the resource office at GHS, strings program, and world language program.  The budget in summary and detail are available on the non-partisan website: GoffstownBudgets.com. 

Ms. Buckley stated "the teachers and paraprofessionals would have to go because the budget committee cut contractually-obligated or legally-mandated line items like funds for professional development, teacher tuition and out of district tuition payments for special education students." 

Ms. Buckley, no professional development lines were reduced, prior experience shows that the other lines were over-stated and the School Board Chairman remained mute on the issue of these specific lines during Budget Committee deliberations. 

Her proposed adjustments seem to be poised to incite maximum voter sympathy using such reasons as contractual agreements, cutting the resource officer or specific programs.  They clearly omit any possible renegotiation of contractual agreements in order to provide for the best education of Goffstown's students.  Many other school districts, municipalities and states are going to the unions in these tough financial times.  Why is Goffstown different? 

Goffstown is not different, and its taxpayers are in tough financial times.  A huge majority of my taxpayer friends indicate that they cannot afford more than the budget brought forward by the Budget Committee.  Twelve of the sixteen voting members of the Budget Committee voted for this motion. 

BELEAGUERED TAXPAYERS, please come to the public hearing of the budget at 7PM, Wednesday, Jan 12, at the GHS auditorium AND MAKE NOISE.

Bill Gordon
Goffstown