Gilford Elementary School Teachers Trying to stiff Taxpayers
During the public hearing on the school budget the School board (SB) and Budget Committee (Budcom) got an ear full from a small group of parents & teachers. The commotion was caused by a move to cut the budget by not replacing a teacher, assist. Principal and Guidance councelor. Retiring staff leaves these positions vacant and the decision was made not to replace them.
There were several publically notified meetings by the Budget Committee to discuss these cuts and none of those meetings heard so much as a peep from the dissenting group. Now, in the last days of the budget season, they choose to make noise about these cuts. To me, this “noise” is nothing more than teachers advocating to make sure that teachers stay employed. A typical union reaction that is completely out of touch with the world around them.
A valid request to re-vote on the teachers contract is soon coming should this noise grow louder. The rabble-rousers are asking how these two issues are related. Chairperson of the SB, Sue Allen, reminds us that we need to keep in mind that this is a confined small group of people and to not lose sight of the bigger picture. The teacher’s contract has a serious budget implication and so does the warrant article put forth by the “group” to reinstate the money for the positions. I would respectfully ask "how can these issues not be related. As for Ms. Allen’s comments, I conclude these thoughts; for starters, the teachers are a union. By defintion, they are a group with one voice. So when a group of teachers are making noise about the budget, I’d assume they are speaking for all teachers.
The teachers should not be able to influence adding money to the budget and then have the luxury of a guaranteed raise to help off set any increase in cost to pay for it. If they feel these increases are necessary, then let them also feel the pain in paying for them. This is clearly a group of teachers looking for less work and more pay and their reasons for keeping these positions is completely baseless.
We keep hearing about the children with terrible parents and all those single moms. In Gilford? This is the biggest straw dog story I’ve ever heard-- and even if it were true, we should be educating the parents, not the kids. Of course this group of liberal elites keeps telling us about all these troubled kids that need counseling and cooking classes-- but not their kids, of course, because they are better parents. So what they're saying is that you stupid parents are the reason we need to spend all this money. If only you were as smart as they are.
I just came back from a staff meeting for my job. We are laying more people off due to the economy. That’s correct, laying people off. Today they have a job, tomorrow they won’t. Their families' lives and dreams will be dramatically affected. If only we had the luxury of retiring staff.
Because there is less business and now we have less people, I’ll be expected to pick up new responsibilities from the outgoing laid-off people. This is expected in a declining business environment. If only I could mobilize a group of my fellow employees and demand management to hire those positions back! Just how rediculous does that sound?
My advice is to vote NO on all of this foolish spending, including the teacher's raises!!!!
