Sometimes it seems proposed budgets, especially this year’s Brunswick School Board’s, are where darts are thrown at a dartboard to see what will stick. While a “Cadillac”school system is desirable, at the other end of the population are people who cannot afford to rent decent housing or pay the real estate taxes that such a system would require.
Some questions come to mind: Some months ago, perhaps last year, I read in the Times Record as reported by the Board Spokseperson, that there was over a $1,000,000 surplus over receipts for that year. (probably 2012 to 2013). That’s one million with 6 zeroes. Where did this surplus go?
For years school repairs have been kicked down the road, but it can’t be remedied in one tax year.
For this year’s school budget we are voting on in June, I have some questions that perhaps the Board needs to address.
Why hire a full time Tech person when it would be cheaper to hire a contractor based on the actual needs? Why does the board need to replace all the schools’ computers, some of which are perhaps only two years old (when us folks who have computers keep our computers for 8 or 9 years till they die of old age)? Why put an overhead screen in each classroom when each class could go to a “Tech Room” for the videos?
The next question is why has our population for Special Education increased so dramatically? It doesn’t make sense. If students are moving here from other closeby districts, shouldn’t those districts help support the added burden on the Brunswick school district? Since we have special classes for Special Education why do regular classes need to be so small?
Then there is the cost of sending tuition funds to charter schools: The offset is not mentioned, only the cost. If the student no longer takes a seat in the public school system, that should be an equivalent savings from funding the student at a charter school. Instead it is included as a budget cost item.
Where I grew up classes were routinely 20 to 25 students, not the 12 in a Harriet Beecher Stowe School classroom. Also, there were less sports being funded, and the curriculum was basically the three R’s. Is that so bad?
There are people who love to volunteer in the classroom (and already do so) and students who tutor those who need help and are enriched by the experience. When HBS was being built, we already knew the Navy was leaving Brunswick and our school population would be decreased. Well the public already voted for the bond so we might as well spend it. Some Navy residents who voted for it have now moved away and left us to pay the bill.
Oh if we could afford more new schools like that for our other elementary and junior high schools! Yes, and I would love to drive a Lexus.
The Brunswick board has yet to come to the realization that the population of school age children is still decreasing as the people moving here generally are not young families. Reading between the lines, it seems the bond for the high school has been paid off so perhaps the Board thinks there is money to burn now. Wake up School Board and wake up Brunswick taxpayers. Now that the budget has been “downsized” to last year’s budget, I believe it still needs to go back to the drawing board I will vote No in June and I bet other areas of fat in the budget can be found without hurting our basic fine education system. I urge you to do the same.
If my facts are disputed, let’s hear from the Board prior to the June school budget vote.
WINIFRED SILVERMAN is a resident of Brunswick.
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