Great Letter

I received this letter a few days ago - very well written from a very concerned resident.

Hi Everyone,



Last week I attended an open discussion session on this year’s school budget organized by Roxbury CARE, an organization formed over the summer to support our school budget efforts. It was very educational (no pun intended) with some misunderstandings of my own clarified. It was a great group of people and I encourage you to attend these meetings. Superintendent Rossi and board member/VP Pat Miller were there and I was pleased with what they had to say. A lot more can be discussed in an informal session such as this compared to other meetings I’ve attended.



Ron and Mary Lucas started Roxbury CARE along with other concerned residents. Ron will be running for Board of Ed and it is clear that our kids and our town are both priorities with them. They are happy to answer any questions, and will find the correct, accurate info for you – roxcare1@gmail.com. They also have a website: roxburycare.com and will be posting the candidates statements as soon as they’re released. Ron will be running with Jim Monaghan and Dave Ramage. All three are HIGHLY qualified individuals that will truly make a difference!



IMPORTANT THINGS WE NEED TO DO:



1. Don’t take everything you read or hear at face value. Much of the information disseminated is inaccurate. Educate yourself.


2. Attend a Board of Ed meeting or 2… or more….. I think you’d be surprised by what you see as I have been. It’s clear to me that there are people on OUR board whose priorities are not necessarily our kids and education. While checks and balances certainly need to be in place, the overall objective must be to improve and strengthen the quality and safety of our educational programs. Meeting minutes and agendas can be found at Roxbury.org on the board page.


3. Know the candidates who are running this year – is education their priority? After all, it is a Board of EDUCATION. ‘Meet the candidates’ night is
Thurs, Apr 7th, 7:30 L/R auditorium. GO, LISTEN & LEARN.

4. Understand what passing vs. failing a budget does. No one wants to pay more taxes, but don’t be pennywise and pound foolish. Last year, the difference in taxes if the budget had passed would have been less than $10 per month for most of us. Because it didn’t pass, however, much more was lost - 51 positions were cut, and many programs and resources were lost, which will be hard to get back now. And… we end up paying for it somewhere else anyway - the “pay to play” fees as 1 direct example. There are many indirect: At RHS - 30+ students in some classes, fewer technology classes, more kids in study halls due to elimination of many elective classes, etc. Property values also suffer in towns that do not support their school budgets. A defeated budget does not mean you will save money.


5. Take time to write a quick letter to the editor or get stories in the papers about the good things going on. There are many positive things happening in our schools in all areas – academics, athletics, fine arts programs….


6. State aid is a little better this year, which is great news, but the budget still needs to pass to keep things intact. Our schools lost a great deal because of last year’s vote.


7. GO, LISTEN & LEARN at the Board meeting March 28th, 7:30pm at L/R where they will vote on the final budget to be presented to voters.


And most importantly…



8. VOTE YES FOR THE BUDGET on Wed, Apr 27th and for 3 new board members that support education. Also -Call 5 friends that day to remind them to vote and ask them to call 5 friends…

Please take time to learn what’s going on and support our kids and our town. If we don’t make the decisions, somebody else will for us. Be an informed parent and voter.