Friends

Friends-

The time is upon us for the School Budget/Board of Education election. This year is a critical vote for Roxbury - I doubt if there has been one historically that is more important to the future of our schools. I have always felt politics do not belong anywhere near the Board of Education. If you are interested in politics, you should be running for the Town Council or another government office. If you are running for the Board of Education, your first priority should be the education of the children - all of the children - in the district. There are two current board members whose only goal, in my opinion, is to try and do anything they can to dismantle the district. Here are a few examples of their “no” votes recently –
1. before and after school instruction that federal school aid pays for
2. the kindergarten wrap-around program that is totally paid for by the parents using the program through tuition payments (and brought in an additional $48,000 in profit!)
3. approving coaches
4. approving club advisors
5. re-appointing Joe Koch as well as any substitutes for him when he can’t be present at athletic functions
6. two contract settlements just approved – 3 year bus drivers contract 0%, 0%, 2% and the 3 year custodians contract 0%, 0%, 2%
7. donations from booster clubs as well as an anonymous donation

All of this in addition to requesting that the town council cut even more from our budget than they intended to after last year's defeat! They were already cutting 1.4 million - but that apparently wasn't enough for two current BOE members! These two members are supported by TEAM - the group that is now backing 3 more candidates. There are town council members that are also members of TEAM and are supporters of these candidates. Please, do not allow politics to become part of our board of education. Our kids deserve better!

I strongly support #2 Jim Monaghan, #6 Dave Ramage and #7 Ron Lucas. They are concerned about education in Roxbury and will focus on balancing the educational needs of Roxbury with the financial constraints that exist. They will all be the type of board members who start with an open mind, discuss issues, listen to other opinions, give reasonable suggestions, and then accept and support the majority decision regardless of whether or not it was theirs. That’s the way a board should work - it must function as a working body - and people must be willing to listen to the opinions of others without having their own agenda.

Also, don't forget the budget. Providing our kids with a good education is one of the most important things we can do as a community. With all of the defeated budgets in the past and the loss of state aid, we continue to have a tough time providing the same opportunities we have in the past. Personally, I have a senior in High School, a freshman, and a 5th grader. I want my youngest to have the same opportunities as my oldest. Many of them have already been taken away due to cuts - help us preserve what we have and begin to rebuild what has been lost.

Please be aware the proposed total budget for 2011-2012 increased less than 1% which is extraordinary when you look at the increase in gas prices alone. In this proposed budget, all programs are intact including instructional, sports and clubs as well as no instructional staff cuts. As I said before, two contracts have been settled with 0% increase 2011-12, 0% 2012-13 and 2% 2013-14. Dr. Rossi, administrators and staff have done a great job acquiring grants resulting in over $500,000 revenue over the past 3 years and I expect that to continue.

All in all, this year’s budget does include a small tax increase thanks to increases in normal operating costs -- $78/year for an average assessed home of $208,639. And please remember this is your assessed value, not the market price of your home. If the budget fails, there probably will be cuts depending on how much Town Council decides to cut, taxes will likely still increase and our kids will lose more of the educational opportunities we are trying to give them.

Please think about this when you vote on Wednesday, April 27th 7AM-9PM. Vote "YES" for our budget and help elect #2 Jim Monaghan, #6 Dave Ramage and #7 Ron Lucas. Our kids need our support to create their own futures.

Please share this with your friends and let’s get everyone out to vote. You can check www.roxbury.org for further information.