We are Croydon voters and concerned residents. This is not just about Croydon — the Free Stater momentum will not end here unless we, as a society that values access to quality education for all children, fight this.
If the 53% reduction in the school budget isn’t overturned, the funds are profoundly inadequate. It will be impossible to operate the Little Red Schoolhouse for grades K-4 with certified teachers who kindly and effectively individualize education as well as pay tuition to various credentialed schools for students in grades 5-12. Croydon’s pride in its school choice program will be dismantled since the dollars available to pay tuition will not be adequate for any of the receiving districts or schools to sustain. It is completely unrealistic to expect that parents have the resources to make up the balance.
The proposed alternatives to the existing educational structures are not comparable in quality or effectiveness. Concerns raised about the proposed microschool pod programs include: inadequate staff background checks, minimal qualifications for the guides who replace teachers, too much online education, no explanation of how these guides report to certified teachers, no education records maintained for EFA-enrolled students and no state-mandated assessments. The microschools do not provide special education services. The pods must be held somewhere, so the tuition payments to microschools are not the total cost.
The benefits of quality public education extend broadly throughout society. Our schools teach the people who become our mechanics, health care professionals, highway crews, technology gurus, plumbers, electricians, contractors, clergy, therapists, chefs, store managers — nearly everyone who impacts our day-to-day lives. I have no direct investment in paying school taxes. My children are grown and their future children very unlikely to be raised here. Yet, it is enormously important, as a resident, to support public education. I will gladly vote to restore the original carefully planned budget and pay the appropriate share in my taxes. Please join me on May 7 at 9 a.m. at Camp Coniston!
Hope Damon
Croydon
I have come to believe that the country’s best interest would be served if Supreme Court Justices were limited to specific terms. When the Constitution was written in the late 18th century, people’s life spans were considerably shorter than they are today and the turnover on the Court was more frequent. I have not calculated a recommended term, but it should be such that every president should be called on to make two appointments during each term she serves. That would provide for new experience and fresh thinking on a regular basis. Such a change would probably require a constitutional amendment, which would be tedious but well worth it.
Anne Harms
West Lebanon
The decision by 20 Croydon residents to slash the education budget threatens the town’s most precious and vulnerable residents: the students. I reached out to them to gather their thoughts.
Taylor Fellows, Newport Middle High School (NMHS) ninth grader, attended Croydon Village School (CVS) for K-4th grade. She said she appreciated “Miss Wendy … an assistant teacher and bus driver … [who] was always there for me. Croydon … was a huge part in teaching me how to … interact.”
She worries that if the budget cut isn’t reversed at the May 7 special meeting, “I would be separated from my friends, teachers, and coaches.” Thinking of the school board’s suggested “micro schools,” Taylor objected: “No kid wants to spend their time doing online schooling for the rest of their high school career and miss out on all the opportunities that a high school student would normally receive.”
Taylor’s twin brother, Aaron, also a freshman at NMHS, worries too: “We wouldn’t have opportunities to do tech classes. I hope we can get those votes.”
Chloe Leslie, Sunapee Middle High School (SMHS) eighth grader, said: “Teachers at Sunapee really care about their students and go beyond expectations to make sure that students are learning and comprehending the topics. If I were not able to go to Sunapee next year, I’d miss all my friends … and the way that Sunapee teaches — fun and engaging.”
Addy Pifer, SMHS 10th grader, said: “At CVS, I always enjoyed knowing that I was cared for and my opinion mattered.” CVS “helped shape me to be the person I am today. It was like a second home where you were taught simple life lessons.” Of SMHS, Addy shared, “My biology teacher has helped me in so many ways. She always wants what is best for me, answers any questions I have related to the class work … and she makes sure that every student knows that she is going to do whatever is needed to get to where we want to be in life.”
Colin Spiker, Newport fifth grader, also weighed in. Reflecting on CVS, he shared, “My teachers were cool … and made learning fun. Richards School (in Newport) is bigger. Having a gym for health class and phys ed is better.”
Please take these students’ perspectives into account when you vote on May 7.
Amanda Leslie
Croydon