To the Editor:

The School's Default Budget includes all the contract liabilities for all school salaries except three proposed positions: one teacher at Bartlett, one library paraprofessional at Mountain View, and one full secretary at Maple Avenue.   The computation of the default budget does not specify any reduction of current staffing levels.  No staff reduction of teachers, paraprofessionals, administrators, guidance, maintenance, janitorial, secretarial, special education, etc.

The School's Default Budget includes adjustments upward and downward on various lines like property insurance and utilities.  There a $350K decrease triggered by reduced interest on the bond payment and lower proposed expenditures on some other lines.  The net adjustment from the school's current budget including all the salary/benefits is upward only $240K from the current budget.

There is a $1,094,573 difference between the School Board's proposed budget and the Default Budget, and all this important stuff is covered in the Default Budget.  The Default Budget is a state mandated safety valve to insure that schools get funded at a reasonable level. 

Why do I hear that 18 teachers would be chopped to achieve the Default Budget when that budget has ALL the current staff included in it?  NO ONE needs to be laid off.  What do the current School Board members and the School Superintendent Stacy Buckley intend to spend a MILLION DOLLARS on that is more important than teachers and paraprofessionals?

Vote NO on School Article 2 and give the School Board the very ample Default School Budget.


Bill Gordon
Goffstown