GilfordGrok

To the Editor, GilfordGrok.com,

Gilford needs to cut taxes and cap salaries! It’s no wonder why our taxes are out of control. The recent September 22, Daily Sun article says it all. 23 of 39 comparable positions are in the top four out of 32 similar towns. My research of several comparable schools in the area shows that we have the highest pay scale. This is climbing higher with some of the highest pay raises, and among the best health care plans, in the latest three year contract. Even after the previous three year 8% annual increase. The actions of the school board in June is appalling. To extend the Superintendents, high priced, five year contract. This , after we voted against even having one in 1998. Didn’t we leave the old SAU to save money? Now we have created our own over paid bureaucracy. The decades long rhetoric about staying competitive is a farce. All towns use when bargaining for higher pay. Gilford used it even while already being at the top. We are now the "Bench Mark". As when I went to Gilford quite some years ago, many teachers complain to the students about their low pay. It was as disgraceful then as it is now. One senior class teacher recently offered extra credit to his 18 year old students to vote for the new contract.

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  Go to www.greatschools.net under "research and compare" for other information the school board probably doesn’t want taxpayers to see. Our middle and high school has the lowest student to full time equivalent (teacher) FTE in the area. Combine this with being the highest paid, and Gilford's teachers are probably the best compensated teachers and administrators in the state. Yet the test scores don’t come close to reflecting this. Of coarse the $uperintendent always has a smooth excuse for this. Is this good for our children to see the highest position in the system questioning the validity of the test that are given nation wide? Laconia recently eliminated several administrative positions. Gilford added a whole new middle school administration along with curriculum staff. With all of these additional top pay year round positions, one has to wonder about the necessity of them. It is generally the same number of students and teachers handled by two thirds of the current administration. Lets not overlook all the other unnecessarily added position. Why do we need a third nurse for the same number of students, still in only two buildings? Or did a top administrators family member need a position? Multi-tasking shouldn’t just be for us poor souls in the "private sector"!

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  This attributes to why Gilford spends $30 + million a year, while other comparable sized towns spend $15-20 million. Throwing money at this doesn’t result in higher test scores, or better employees. We give merit raises to town employees, not for exceptional performance, but just for being on the payroll. Then we have a teacher who repeatedly assaults a 14 year old student in the school and in the school parking lot undetected, or was it just unreported? Do you really believe All the other, top paid professional, teachers were unaware of this predator? And we trust, and pay, these people to protect our children? Or is this a case of not wanting to "blow the whistle" on a fellow union employee? Lets not forget this teacher is the son of the aforementioned mentioned top administrator. These are two perfect examples of why many companies in the "private sector", prohibit employing relatives. As in the church scandal, the safety of our children is being compromised for the sake of not wanting to be overlooked for promotions and, or, bad publicity.

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Jim Cookman
Overwhelmed Gilford Taxpayer