GilfordGrok

Before you read this, go here first, and then come back.

Look, things change over time.  No matter how much we may not wish it to, life changes circumstances and new decisions have to be made to adjust. 

Life changed:

• Enrollment has dropped 25% at GES over the last few years
• SAU Enrollment overall is dropping, again, over the last few years
  
• Linda Wright made a decision to retire
• Budget Committee members (especially me!) have been questioning the level of staffing the last three years, especially in the area of overhead costing (and my definition of overhead labor is coming from a mfg background of "if you ain't touching/manipulating the material that is actually making the product out on the shop floor, you are overhead - which includes the CEO, CFO, R&D, Sales, and Mrktng!)
  

I applaud Linda Wright for developing an award winning program - by all means and recountings, she deserves all the accolades she has received.  But she is retiring.

Programs within government have a habit of, once started, never seem to go away.  Now, I'm not suggesting that the program go away - I'm not and the State law will not allow anyways.  But that doesn't mean that new ways of meeting standards should never be tried.  Even if the State requires certain material to be taught, it does not require "status quo" always remain.

The problem is that saying "it is for the children" is not a sufficient answer.  That emotional answer to keep budgets higher when all other standards (State standards, Association standards, School Board standards) are still met, is way overused in my opinion.  It over emphasizes emotional versus a reasoned approach (for emotional appeals often seem to trump logic - which is why they are often by those that want their way).

I expect that the needs of the kids, according to all the standards mentioned above, be met.  I do not expect that the same methodology to do so be used forever and ever because "we've always done it that way before" when other conditions are changing as well.

Gilford spends a LOT of money per student - way more than the State average.  Sometimes, the right thing to do is not say "what about the children", but sometimes ask 'what about the taxpayer?".  Hitting the standard is good; we here in Gilford do MORE than hit legislated standards and certainly spend more than most.

I will ask "how about helping the taxpayer for a change?"  After all, many of the taxpayers would be able to use that money to do something extra for......their kids.

Bottomline: despite the kvetching I heard coming from behind me during almost the entire time at last Thursday's meeting (rude, ladies, very rude - is that the kind of manners you are teaching our kids?  And you DO know who you are!), I support the School Board and Dr. DeMinico in their decision to carry on the program but in a different way than for the last 30 odd years.