Bond issue.

The warrant was briefly mentioned at the school board meeting last night. (The warrant is the list of items that goes before the voters at the Deliberative session and what we eventually vote on in March.) A copy of the proposed warrant was distributed to the school board members and a quick overview was provided. 

The first article on the warrant is a bond. No explanation was given and no discussion took place. Though this was the first mention of a bond that I can recall, not one school board member looked surprised and not one question was asked. When the board was asked during public comment for clarification and explanation, the chair replied that the discussion at the workshop on January 8th would focus on the warrant.

Here's what is concerning. 

I'm shocked at the idea of the school board proposing a bond at the 11th hour – the Deliberative session is in just 6 weeks – with no explanation.

There are many questions that need to be asked now. A bond for what? Is there a proposal? If so, who has been working on this? Why hasn't the community been engaged? What about the JAC? Does the Superintendent really think that he would be able to rally enough support and provide enough information to the community to pass a bond at this late date? 

The superintendent and the school board clearly have a lot of work to do -- not just to put the warrant together, but to engage and inform the community. And they need to do it now.

Where you need to be on Saturday.

People have asked why they should attend the Deliberative Session on Saturday. Here's why:

The deliberative session is more than just another town meeting. It is a vote. And it's not just a matter of ratifying what the budget committee has recommended. The people in the room can drastically change the outcome of our March vote. Here's how:

Any person can get up and make a motion to change the dollar amount of any warrant article. That motion, if supported, then goes to a vote by a show of hands. That means that someone could make a motion to change the dollar amount of a warrant article to $0 and if that goes to a vote, and there aren't enough people in the room to vote against it, the article is, essentially, GONE. 

The system may seem a little cumbersome to some people, but this is each resident's opportunity to have a voice and a direct impact. 

Your vote matters.

The Deliberative Session is on Saturday Feb. 8th at the HS gym with the School meeting starting at 10am and the Town meeting starting at 1pm. Childcare will be provided starting at 9:30.

Town Meeting Survival Guide

Newmarket held our Town Meeting today. Sitting in the bleachers for 6 hours isn't fun, but if this is going to be the norm, I need to make next year more bearable. The following is a list of things I either wish I had or am glad I had.

Snacks: Today's session started at 10am and continued until about 4pm with only about a 20 minute break in between the meetings. I brought a large coffee with me and several snacks (clementines, cheese and crackers and a Kind bar) and a couple bottles of water to get me through the day. Hopefully next year some worthy organization will sell coffee, water and baked goods as both a fundraiser and a public service.

Dress: My advice is to dress comfortably. Last year I wore a skirt and that was just a bad idea all around. Sitting in bleachers with a skirt on just doesn't work. I wore jeans today, but looked at a couple women wearing sweats with envy. Yoga pants and a comfy sweater might be the perfect alternative. I found this on Pinterest and I think this might be my new look for all occasions:

Democracy inspired fashion, anyone?

A Hobby: I'm jealous of all you knitters. I could have used something to keep me busy and stop the non-stop texting. Then again, if we had the internet available, I could have been live blogging (but if that isn't enough to make the BudComm block technology for our schools, I don't know what is.) 

Comfortable Chairs: I'm not really a sports-mom (or sports-anything, for that matter.) But I think I should invest in some kind of stadium seating. Maybe something like this:

Until then, Extra Strength Advil will have to be enough. 

Childcare: We were so lucky to have childcare provided by teachers and staff. It's an incredible relief-both emotional and financial-for many parents and I'm thankful for everyone who worked to make that happen. 

I still need to let it all sink in and then I'll write more about some of the specifics of the meeting in the next couple of days. All in all, it was a good day and I am glad to have been a part of it. 

Your participation matters.

This letter to the editor was in today's Exeter Newsletter. Ms. Ferraro explained the importance and process of the deliberative session and I wanted to share parts of it here. (There's no need to reinvent the wheel, right?) 

Once a year we have the opportunity and obligation to come together as a community at annual town and school meetings to participate in listening, discussing, debating, amending and finally voting on important issues that will affect all of us. The first part of the meeting is the deliberative session. The second part is Election Day.

Newmarket's deliberative session will be held this Saturday, February 2nd. For the first time, we are holding the Town and School deliberative sessions on the same day. It will undoubtedly make for a long day, and we'll see how it goes this year. The town portion of the meeting will begin at 10am and the school portion will begin at 1pm.

At the deliberative sessions, all warrant articles, except zoning articles, will be considered. There will be opportunities for explanation, discussion and the amendment of each article and then a vote is taken to either accept the article in its original form or as amended. The subject matter of articles cannot be amended, but dollar amounts can be. The results of the deliberative sessions will then go on the ballot to be voted on Election Day. 

Since the change from the traditional form of Town Meeting to the two-session SB 2 (Senate Bill 2), attendance has dropped off considerably, decreasing from several hundred residents in attendance to less than 75 residents. Low attendance means that a very small number of voters have the power to amend and shape the articles and budget for the remaining 10,000 town voters on Election Day. The deliberative session is essentially the traditional Town Meeting, only minus the same-day-voting, and yet only a handful of voters participate in the shaping of the warrant articles that go on the ballot. 

My challenge to you, neighbors and friends, is to make SB 2 work. Find the time, make the time in your busy schedules to become a well-informed voter and attend the deliberative sessions. Then remember to vote on March 12. Do it for yourself, your children, your families, your neighbors and for our community.

Well said, Ms. Ferraro.

Tell 'em how you really feel.

Tonight is the public hearing. After, the budget committee will meet again to determine if they think bigger cuts need to be made and I can tell you from watching the furious nodding of some of the committee members last week, I would bet that more cuts are coming. 

This year the enrichment program is being cut, with 5.5 total positions being eliminated. Will it be sports next year? Maybe they'll cut transportation (i.e. bussing. We go above and beyond what's required now.) Maybe it's the number of classroom teachers. So what are you going to do about it?

At the meeting last week, there was discussion about what the taxpayer "gets" from the salary increases associated with the new collective bargaining agreement. Apparently kids "getting" an education isn't enough.

There are certainly members of committees and of the community who I believe are short sighted, if not irresponsible. But isn't it up to the rest of us to show up, take a stand and say "this isn't who we are?" And shouldn't that include parents, teachers and everyone interested in quality education and in our town as a whole? 

The public hearing is tonight at 7pm in the Town Hall auditorium. The Deliberative session will be Saturday February 2nd, with the school portion beginning at 1pm. 

Of course we're all busy. Jobs, kids, sports, friends, family, etc. And talking about teachers' salaries isn't nearly as exciting as talking about buying land for a potential new school. I get that. But people need to be there. A school board member pointed out that for every person who she hears say that they don't trust the School Board, she hears from 10 that support the School Board and their mission. Let's prove her right.

The Deliberative Session

Back in November, both the School Board and the Town Council submitted their budgets to the Budget Committee. Over the past several weeks, the Budget Committee has been reviewing the budgets and asking questions of the administrators--either Steve Fournier, the Town Administrator or Jim Hayes, the Superintendent. 

On January 7th and 8th, (YES, that's tonight and tomorrow) the Budget Committee will conduct their final meetings with both the Town and the School, respectively. This is their chance to get answers to the questions that they asked during the other sessions and to go over the warrant articles. 

The next step is the public hearing which will be held on January 14th, so mark your calendars. This is the first time the public gets to ask questions or voice their concerns about the budgets and/or warrant articles. At some point after this meeting, the budget committee will vote on whether or not to recommend the budgets and warrant articles to the public. 

And that brings us to the Deliberative Session. Newmarket is an SB2 town and so our vote happens in two stages. I found this explanation on Wikipedia:

Under SB 2, a first session, called a "Deliberative Session", is held about a month prior to the town election. This session is similar in many ways to the traditional town meeting. However, unlike the town meeting, while the wording and dollar amounts of proposed ballot measures may be amended, no actual voting on the merits of the proposals takes place. The second session, held on a set election day, is when issues such as the town's budget and other measures, known as warrant articles, are voted upon.

This year the DS will be held on Saturday, February 2nd. This is kind of a big deal for our town--a lot of work went into having the Town and the School deliberate on the same day. My understanding of the reasoning for this is so that the community can get a full financial picture. (Or in other words, how can we possibly consider proposing a new school when we will be voting for a new waste water treatment plant?)

This is what I hope people understand---the deliberative session is more than just another town meeting. It is a vote. And it's not just a matter of ratifying what the budget committee has recommended. The people in the room can drastically change the outcome of our March vote. Here's how: 

Any person can get up and make a motion to change the dollar amount of any warrant article. That motion, if supported, then goes to a vote by a show of hands. That means that someone could make a motion to change the dollar amount of a warrant article to $0 and if that goes to a vote, and there aren't enough people in the room to vote against it, the article is, essentially, GONE. 

The system may seem a little cumbersome to some people, but this is each resident's opportunity to have a voice and a direct impact. 

Your vote matters.