Letter: Vote No on Override
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To the Editor:
Once again the voting members of the Town of Cheshire are asked to vote on a Proposition 2 1/2 override. We voted on this once and it overwhelming failed but the School Committee and the select board refuse to accept the people's decision. So we are being forced to vote again while they hope for different results. If this fails again they will try to get the town of Adams to force us into spending the money by having an additional vote.
I am very strongly against raising our taxes to overfund the Adams-Cheshire Regional School District (ACRSD). I believe anyone who knows the facts will agree with me. Most of the facts I am about to state are verifiable through the Mass Department of Education.
The school budget has major increases in their spending every year while our student population is dramatically dropping for the past 15 years. In the past 10 years, we dropped an average of 43 students per year. The quality of education is dramatically dropping also. The performance rating of our schools is pitiful. C.T. Plunkett is one of the poorest rated schools in the state. It is rated in the bottom 5 percent of schools in Massachusetts.
Hoosac Valley and Cheshire Elementary aren't rated much better at below 16 percent and 18 percent respectively. The average SAT scores of our students are below the state average. At 19.1 percent we are far below the Mass Core requirements. The major state standard for determining school performance is MCAS testing and our scores are way below the state average. Our schools have had a major decrease every year over the past four years. The graduation rate at Hoosac Valley is only 81 percent. The 2015 Hoosac Valley graduating class had 84 students out of 104 students in the Senior Class.
The major standout in the Cheshire budget deficit problem is the ACRSD school budget. It has a 21.5 percent increase in the over foundation budget spending. This is on top of the increase that the state forces on us through Chapter 70 laws on mandatory school spending. Few highlights in the school budget is one person is set to receive a 278 percent pay increase. There are many more pay increases way over the 2 /12 percent yearly increases the town is allowed to charge their tax paying residents. Our town is falling apart. For way too long we have been taking money away from repairs and preventative maintenance to overfund our failing school system. If changes are not made soon we will be forced to make major increases in our taxes just to avoid going bankrupt. This is not only a Cheshire problem but Adams is following very closely and is due for major tax increases to keep their town running.
More money will not solve our problems with our school. It is only going to be solved by a major attitude change of our school committee and ACRSD management. I could go into many more reasons why I feel overriding Proposition 2 1/2 is wrong. That is why I urge everyone to send a strong message to the school committee and the ACRSD management to straighten themselves out.
A NO vote on the proposition 2 1/2 override on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2015 is the best way we can force our schools into accountability in providing the best education to our children at a reasonable cost.
Thank you for your support.
Gary B. Trudeau
Cheshire
Tags: ACRSD, letters to the editor, school budget,
