Dear Editor,
I ask for support of the electorate as the At-Large Representative to the Newfound School Board on March 9th. Work I have started on your behalf remains.
A conservative candidate, I seek long-term ways to prevent uncontrolled growth of our school budget while fulfilling our socially responsible obligation to educate our decreasing student population. I seek to balance our legal obligation while minimizing pain to taxpayers.
It is predicted by legislative pundits “in-the-know” NEXT year’s state budget will be short by $600 Million. A staggering number indeed.
Know those funds will come from you and me in the form of higher fees and taxes –just to stay even! If you’ve registered your vehicle since August 2009 when the newest fees took effect, you know what I’m talking about. There’s more coming.. The stealthy-passed “LLC Tax” by the Governor and cohorts is an example of how we can all expect to be precision-targeted.
We have a stable education environment at Newfound where we fall in the upper third of most categories, but continue to show need of improvement.
During my first term, I attended conferences to learn of trends and issues associated with education in NH. Several opportunities revealed themselves and I lead the district to consider options to address them. These ideas were presented to get both short-term as well as long-term handles on costs within our $23 Million budget.
We currently educate 1,394 students with a teaching staff of about 144 teachers. There are 200+ more employees that bring total checks to roughly 350 per period. The number of students is down from the prior year and forecasts from respected sources indicate a downtrend is likely through 2014 when totals may number 1,296; a hundred fewer than now. Shouldn’t our costs trend down, too? Properly managed, there is a chance, but casting your votes properly is a prerequisite. Not only will I need your vote, but more concerned citizens must attend hearings and meetings where definitive votes are cast. The price of democracy is eternal vigilance -- by each and every citizen. Don’t leave these matters to elected officials alone. The personnel portion of the budget is the biggest number; after all, education is heavily dependent on human interactivity to get results – despite technological trends, we still need the dedicated resources that are our teachers and other professionals who accomplish amazing things in ever-challenging (and changing) roles. People are expensive. By investing wisely and managing carefully, the ancillary expenses will take care of themselves. At present, 76.6% of the fiscal year 2010 budget goes to salaries, which according to our School Budget Committee is higher than most districts and that specific number is 6% higher than last year. I strive to get control of this, and am finding ways. But I will need your help, your vote, and ongoing support to do so.
Of particular concern is a potential unbridled increase in Special Education costs throughout NH. 16% of Newfound students are eligible for that category of funding comprising roughly 25% of the budget. The state Department of Education is proposing to amend rules affecting Special Education. The recent public hearing by the Department of Education, saw myself as the ONLY School Board Member in the entire state attending. I spoke about the concern with proposed changes, which, if adopted, will burden you – and all local taxpayers in NH – with an additional flood of administrative burdens and broader eligibility -- raising costs of special education further.
I cannot do this alone, but am taking proactive, long-term action steps to get matters under control, rather than sitting idly by, worrying and lamenting how unfair it is for the state to impose unfunded mandates on districts. I took action, attended that meeting, spoke against the proposed measures, and am pleased to report to you that pressure from a number of like-thinking sources have (temporarily) resulted in tabling those changes. I need to be re-elected to continue this effort.
Having missed only one meeting in my entire multi-year original term says something about how much I care about my commitment to serving voters in this position.
I fully support local schools, and affordable workforce housing to ensure Newfound remains attractive to families who will balance our economic ecology with skills we need and justify the benefit having those local schools.
However, we must get the cost balloon under control to do so. It must be done in all areas. I offer to continue my dedication that will inure to the benefit of us all. Kindly consider a vote for me on March 9th at your town meeting in Alexandria, Bridgewater, Bristol, Danbury, Groton, Hebron and New Hampton.
Vincent Paul Migliore
Candidate At-Large
Newfound School Board
Owner, Budget Blinds |
