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. 

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.