Outside of the School Programs
I have been very critical of the School Board in the past. I speak out when I think they get it wrong and, to be fair, when they get it right they deserve praise. I applaud their recent stance on refusing to allow outside program advertisement flyers into the school. If the policy allowed the Library and Park & Rec. to advertise programs, why not allow advertising for things like gun safety programs. One could easily argue that such a course is very educational and could potentially save a child’s life. There is also a case to be made that the funding source for such a course is not that far removed from the schools. The NH Hunter Safety course is primarily a firearm safety course and welcomes children 12 years and older. The course is under the umbrella of the State of NH and supervised through the NH Fish & Game. Volunteers here in Gilford teach this course twice a year and it is accentually free to anyone interested. For the record, these volunteers are the kind that work for free and not the kind that require annual stipends. This alone might be considered a reason to reject the program. The school district simply can’t accept “free” volunteers. That would compromise the quality of the volunteers. It is standard school district procedure to pay the same volunteers that once happily worked for free.
As exciting as all this sounds, there will be outside programs that aren’t going to sit well with all parents. Clearly the effort by the library is based on a belief that they are somehow special. According to their rhetoric, their growth is due to a massive demand. If the demand is so massive then why do they need to advertise? Aren’t people beating the library doors down to get in? Have we reached a point where Gilford has too many programs for the population of kids? At last count we have Parks & Rec., after school, summer school, library, the community church, plus an array of outside agency programs for kids. We can never seem to have an intellectual discussion on consolidating the departments that offer similar services. That might compromise the insatiable appetite of the growing empires throughout the town’s government. Regardless, the school shouldn't have to be the advertising meca for any of them. Espeically where they may be competing for the same children's time.
Wake up Terry! This isn’t about “the children” or making government more efficient. This is about protecting high paying and high profile positions. It’s all about creating more ways for the wealthy to enjoy services at the expense of others. It’s about getting a library named after you or how about those new playing fields at the Meadows. Any bets on who they’re named after?
