GilfordGrok

What the heck is going on with all these School Boards? First Gilford's seems to want to do things steathily, Laconia's Pandor's box of translations, and now the Winnisquam one has riled up folks (Laconia Sun, Thurs, 8/16):

The Northfield Education Committee, an official town board appointed by the Board of Selectmen earlier this year, is urging voters in the Winnisquam School District to turn thumbs down on a proposed teachers contract that will [be] presented to voters of the Northfield-Sanbornton-Tilton school district at a special district meeting this coming Wednesday night.

Actually, let's cut to the chase as to why. Ken Gorrell, a smart and well grounded conservative, is the Chair of the NEC. He had this to say, as the School Board has apparently screwed up in negotiating with the teachers union and then performing badly in having the voters have their say on the contract. In essence, with 3 tries at it, they've messed up each time. And now want a free pass – essentially asking the court and taxpayers “please do not hold us accountable for messing up – just give us the money for this messed up contract. After all, it's for the teachers (strike out) children.”

This is a case of actions have consequences. Or really, the lack of actions have consequences – major ones. Not only is it costing the taxpayers additional time and money to have the special election, one also has to remember that the WRSB fought really hard against the establishment of the NEC which will hold them accountable.

Gee, just as from the Moultonborough tape I was given, it seems that the MSC members don't think that the Moultonborough taxpayers need a Budget Committee either? I may be wrong, but weren't many on that committee not in favor of it? Just as our own Scott Laliberte disparaged our present Gilford BudComm?

Is there something that School Board members have to sign – get elected and behave badly? After all, Ken takes the WRSB to task for spending $200,000 of excess money that could have been returned to the taxpayers. Which would have been the right thing to do, as that money does come from the taxpayers! It seems that the lure of available money distorts many – if it is there, it has to be spent!

The school board is showing a complete disregard for the fiscal health of the town. They went ahead and spent those excess funds on non-budgeted items knowing full well that they'd be going to (Belknap County Superior Court) claiming there was an emergency to told [sic – hold?] a special district meeting for ask just for additional monies.”

Spend it steathily, and then go back to the trough some more!  I really liked what Ken had to say here:

Gorrell indicated he's also concerned when he hears people say that the district's teachers are 'hard-working and deserve a raise”.

“It's not an issue of whether teachers deserve a raise or whether our teachers are hardworking,” he said. “I work in the private sector all the time and I'm surrounded by people who are hard-working and deserve a raise. But it depends on the health of the company. Teachers are the only people who seem to expect a raise every year. They have much better retirement plans than most people in the private sector and they have much better health care plans than most people in the private sector”.

I agree - it isn't just a case of the employees deserving a raise but the financial wherewithal of the entity granting the raise. In the private sector, it is based on a number of things, including the profitability (or management's perception of future profitability, the skill sets of employees, the replacement cost of skill-sets, and the product direction of the company).

All I seem to hear from our School Board is “to retain our teachers, we HAVE to pay them more – it costs so much to train new ones” as if that was a mantra that is brand new to us in the private sector.

I wonder if the WRSB heard his words. Heck, I hope our School Board heard him too. But I think that is the case for another post, don't you?