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. 

Breaking the silence.

It's been quiet here. There hasn't been a whole lot that's caught my interest the past few weeks and even when there has been something, I've been busy keeping my boys busy. 

Town Council meetings have been a little heated lately (proposed rezoning of the M2 district has been a hot topic), the Charter Commission has been plodding along and the School Board has been on break for the month of July.  

But the issue that has my attention now is the proposed tuition agreement between Newmarket and ORSD. As stated in the School District newsletter:

Superintendents Jim Hayes and Jim Morse will jointly make presentations to the Oyster River Cooperative School Board on Wednesday, August 14, and to the Newmarket School Board on Thursday, August 15. These meetings are the regularly scheduled Board meetings for both Boards.

Whether or not you support the idea of a tuition agreement, these are the facts we have all been waiting a long time for. The meeting will be August 15th at 7:00pm.

There are no silver bullets.

Some people have assumed that parents in Newmarket aren't interested in tuitioning their kids to Oyster River, but my experience has been quite the opposite. Many parents of younger kids that I've spoken to welcome the opportunity to explore this option. Sure, not everyone is for it. Parents, like any demographic, don't all share the same opinion on this complicated issue. 

There are many things to consider. Here are a couple that come to mind:

1. Expense. I really don't see how it could be less expensive in the long run: We will still maintain grades Pre K-8 in Newmarket, including the operation of two buildings and, at the very least, upgrades to the current Jr. Sr. High School building. Not to mention, the program outlined the other night by Principal Allen of Oyster River High School will not come cheap. As we discuss whether or not to authorize money for technology in our school, they already have it - and that means if we join them, we pay for it just like they do. They're also planning to head toward a 1:1 program (At a recent meeting Judy Ryan, a budget committee member expressed concerned that Newmarket parents can't afford that kind of expense. Guess what? They might not have a choice.) Granted, we won't have to pay for a new High School NOW, but what happens in 10 years or 20 years? What will construction costs be then? We need to consider the LONG TERM - something we as a town don't have a very strong track record of doing successfully. 
2. Control. Are we ready to give control of educating our kids to another town even if they have better test scores? My perception of Oyster River is that they are a forward thinking, high-achieving district. Even so, it's hard to imagine not having a vote on their board. Don't forget, decisions they make will impact our taxes. It's funny to me that some of the same people in our town who want to get the School Board under the thumb of the Town Council with the express purpose of controlling their spending (I'm talking about the Charter Commission) are willing to give that same control willingly to ORSD. 
3. Capacity. What happens if we exceed their capacity? If we partner with Oyster River, there is no doubt in my mind that more people will look to Newmarket as a place to live. A well-regarded High School is really the only thing missing in our town, and personally I think it will make us more desirable than many of our neighbors, including Durham. (I'll welcome the rise in my property value.) But if they tell us that the max number of students they can accept from Newmarket is 300 and we suddenly have 325 or 350, what then? What happens to the 25-50 kids who don't get in?

We need to stop looking for something to magically solve all of our problems. (Remember Hydra, anyone?) Oyster River might be a good option and it may prove to be the best option, but we have to keep asking these questions and we need answers before we can cast an informed vote. 

The decisions we make about our school will impact Newmarket in the short and long term. 

Like it or not, the children really are our future.

Time flies when you're....

It's been a year since a sudden - and somewhat unexpected - tax rate took most homeowners in Newmarket by surprise. A very long year.

In the wake of that particular tax hike, Facebook forums were created and groups were formed. People fought hard to ensure that we would have options for our school facilities and lots of people started to pay attention. I started this blog to try and connect the dots as much for me as for others.  

During a recent school board meeting, many people got up to support programs that they care about which were cut from the budget for the next fiscal year. I applaud all of those people for attending the meeting and getting involved. Sometimes it just takes one issue to get you hooked.

So now I ask that you stay involved.

The budget process starts for real on Monday with the first meeting of the budget committee. Both the Town and the School budgets are with them now, but as citizens we still have a voice in the process (not to mention a vote.) The Budget Committee answers to us, the citizens of Newmarket. 

As I've said before, I'm not sure that those program cuts are save-able this year, but let's not kid ourselves, further cuts are on their way.

And while we won't have a building project on the ballot this year, there could be something about a possible agreement with Oyster River down the road and we all need to make sure that we have the facts and weigh that decision very carefully. 

So, what to do?

• Start attending meetings. Meetings are posted on the Town website and I'll do my best to write about upcoming meetings here. We must hold our elected officials accountable. 
• "Like" Newmarket Solutions on Facebook--a lot of info will get passed on that way. Also visit the Newmarket Solutions website for accurate information. Solutions can be created when we all come together.
• Send emails/letters to School Board, Town Council and Budget Committee members as needed. Let your voice be heard.
• Talk to your friends and neighbors.
• Attend the Deliberative Session in February. There will be much more info to follow about what the Deliberative Session is and why it's important.
• Vote in March. 

Thanks for paying attention.

Cheer up, School Board

Was it me, or did everyone seem a little down at the school board meeting?

Although I'm sure you all watched it Thursday night, I thought I'd mention a couple things that caught my attention.

• Chris Andriski gave a lengthy presentation from the NEASC accreditation. There were a large number of commendations, but also a large number of things that need to be addressed in 2 separate reports, one due in December of this year and one in 2014. Facilities and technology were 2 problematic areas. One thing I didn't catch is whether or not we actually received accreditation.

• Dr. Hayes gave an update on facilities. There will be an upcoming Facilities Committee on either June 11 or 12. They will discuss renovation numbers from the architect and a walk through of the Stratham Voc-Tech building. He talked with Chris Williams about it being televised/recorded. I'm assuming these are open to the public, but will check into that.

• The board accepted Joan Liporto's resignation. I haven't had any personal interactions with her, but I've watched her at meetings and it's pretty clear that she's on top of everything. She's brought some comprehensive systems to the SAU (her talk about the Facilities Use policy at this meeting is just one example) and has been a voice of reason. Let's not forget that she's also the person who found the DRA error that helped ease the tax issue. She will be missed.

• No mention of the new NES principle. Apparently a job offer is out there and they're waiting. 
  
  
• Apparently the Oyster River School district approached Dr. Hayes about the possibility of a tuition agreement and he met with members of their board recently.  Personally, I still need to process this. This article in the Exeter Newsletter explained some of the numbers that will matter, and there's a lot more that needs to be considered--things like, tuition vs. co-op agreement, cost and timeline. Not to mention giving up local control over our kids' education. What's tough for me is that I've really come to appreciate the small size of the Newmarket High school and the benefits that gives kids. Also, it seems to me that Oyster River can just be doing their own due diligence and kind of leading us on without a real intention of moving forward. Time will tell and we'll have to wait and see where this leads.
  
  
  And for those of you planning your calendars, there will only be one school board meeting in June on 6/21.