Leslie and I are retired and live on fixed incomes. Like everyone else, we’ve been hit by the rising cost of living. It has caused us to take hard looks at our spending and think about our priorities.
Both of us are ready to vote against the school budget for the first time in our lives. We will do that not because the proposed budget is too large but because it is too small and will have undesirable consequences. We retired from the Barre schools and know firsthand the negative impact of underfunding, which is what the proposed budget does. Here are some of the issues we all should consider:
The Barre schools have historically been among the lowest-spending in the state. A school board should be glad administrators are frugal and take spending very seriously, returning money that can be aside for emergencies, capital projects or tax relief. They are investments that save us money in the long run. Instead, we hear board members and candidates grumbling about a surplus. Would they be happier if the schools ran a deficit?
Even though the 4-3 vote was legal since they had a quorum, it still means only four members of a nine-member board voted for the proposed budget. That is a minority. Setting the budget is such an important decision, it should be done with full board participation.
Did your expenses go up only 1.5%? Neither did the schools’.
Educating our children is one of the most important tasks we have in society. In Vermont, we locals have the privilege of deciding how much money we want to put into that effort. In Barre, we have a long history of fiscal responsibility in our schools. Please join us in voting against an irresponsible budget and against candidates who want to shortchange our schools.
Tommy Walz lives in Barre.
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