Weighing In

I've been asked a few times what I think of the proposed tuition agreement structure between Newmarket and Oyster River, and I've struggled with my answer. I've tried to be politically correct and not take sides just yet. 

But the truth is, I support tuitioning. 

Dr. Hayes' presentation to the Newmarket School Board last week showed that either option will be expensive. And of course, at the end of a tuition agreement, ORCSD might decide that they don't want to continue a tuition agreement with Newmarket and we'll be in the same position as we're in now. That's one of many real concerns. What happens to the teachers, how will our kids transition, and will our kids be accepted are some of the others that have been raised. 

Right now, I look at combining resources with Durham and I see more academic and extracurricular options for my kids, an increase in my property value and a relatively long-term solution that will benefit the town as a whole. 

If you've read this blog before you know: I've advocated for a safe learning environment for Newmarket's children. I've advocated for an educationally appropriate facility. I've advocated for adequate technology for all students. I support an auditorium. It's hard to ignore that Oyster River has these already.

Maybe a new Jr. Sr. High School is the ideal solution for many, but could it possibly get the 66% needed to pass? And then what if it doesn't?

Doing nothing is NOT an option. (And yes, when I say NOTHING I mean fixing the fire and life safety concerns. The argument has been made that $2 million worth of work isn't nothing. But let's face it, that is only the bare minimum to keep the doors open--it's a far cry from solving the other issues with the building.)

We need to balance what our community values, our long term goals and what our community will support. 

There will be a chance for public input in the coming weeks. As always, I urge you to attend these sessions, ask questions, and let your opinion be heard. 

Tuition?

A lot of information was presented at last night's school board meeting and my head is swimming. 

I encourage everyone to visit the school district's website and look at all of the information, but also watch the school board meeting to see the presentation. It is complicated and if you're not a numbers person (I'm not) having the explanation and the benefit of questions asked by school board and community members was invaluable.

The biggest point made last night is that it is going to cost a lot of money to tuition grades 9-12 to ORCSD. It is not simply a matter of writing a check to another school district and being done with it. There are many factors that will impact our children's education and our taxes for years to come. 

So get your questions ready---there will be public hearings in September and as those are scheduled, I'll be sure to post that info here. 

Electioneering

And just a couple other thoughts about my last post....

• Handing out cards so that people would have information handy when they went into the voting booth is legal and, if I do say so myself, a pretty good idea. We need more informed voters. I would absolutely do it again.

• Rallying around something you believe in and trying to gain support for it respectfully and in public, is every person's right. Let's elevate the conversation.

• Newmarket Solutions has been and will continue to be appropriate and respectful in all of its publications and advocacy efforts.  

• I don't think that the person(s) who complained to the AG was really trying to stop "electioneering" at the time it was happening. If they were, they would have reported it to the Moderator or to the police. Instead, they reported it to the AG, after the fact, in a blatant attempt to discredit Newmarket Solutions and me. 

I believe that it's healthy for members of a community to have differing viewpoints and important for us to be able to express them in a constructive forum. I urge everyone to attend meetings, write to the School Board, Town Council and other committees and begin an open dialogue about the many issues facing Newmarket. 

Our tax dollars hard at work.

Remember this post? I had forgotten about it myself, but then this came in the mail yesterday....