Croydon
on The Forum
I have lived in Croydon
for the past 32 years. It is my adopted home. Croydon does not see many
changes, but one big change is the rising cost of education and the
lowering of its quality. For the past six years Newport has failed to
meet its Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), and we were forced to send
our students there. Yet my opponent for School Board Member states we get a good deal from
Newport. A good deal on what? In 1995 Croydon had 130
students and a school budget of $603,201. The proposed budget for
2011 for 76 students is $1,303,771, double the cost of the 1995
budget, with almost half the number of students. Tuition costs are approximately
three times the rate of inflation. Compare that to the Town Budget. In
1995 the Town of Croydon had a budget of $275,863 and the town budget
for 2011 is $372,339, more in keeping with inflation.
(Figures are from Town Reports). Croydon is one of the
smallest school districts in the state, if not the smallest. We have one
school, two teachers, a tax base of 415 homes, and no business. In
order to obtain an education for our children past the 3rd grade we need
to send them to other districts. We have no vote on Newport's School
Board, and no input into how they spend their money or how they run
their schools. We can either remain at
the mercy of Newport and hope they do the right thing for
Croydon, or we can choose to send our children to other schools.
Competition is always good, as noted by the Cornish school district
which ended their area agreement in 1995. Cornish sends their children to
Windsor, Lebanon, and Hanover. Their annual growth rate of 5% is the
lowest of all the area school districts. |
Voting for children does not mean voting for dollars, it is voting for their education. Why are so many local educators afraid of sending our children to schools where parents believe their child will flourish? Shouldn't we be voting for all children, and not someone's job security? At one of the many meetings I attended, a representative from the NH Board of Education spoke. She was explaining the pros and cons of an Area Agreement, and explained that if Kearsarge offered a course not available in Newport, a Croydon student wishing to take the course could attend Kearsarge, after meeting certain standards. A member of the Newport school board was in attendance and stated that Croydon should also have to pay Newport tuition for that student, since they would be losing funds for that student. The speaker correctly explained that it would be no different than if the child was home schooled or sent to a private school. Newport would not be entitled to funds for the student. Article 5 on the Croydon School Warrant is only a first step, and our area agreement is still intact even if it is passed. Article 5 allows for a committee to look into the possibility of ending, amending, or keeping the current Area Agreement. The committee is composed of two Croydon school board members, one Newport school board member, one Croydon town official, The Superintendent of Schools and members of the public. The findings then go to a public vote. Why anyone would vote against this being looked into is beyond me. We need to be open to all possibilities. It is up to Croydon voters, and I ask you to "Vote for Children" not to "Vote for Someone's Job Security"
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Contact: ken.s+sunacom.com (replace "+" with "@") |
