Help preserve the authority of the Budget Committee

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

To the Editor:

Dear friends and neighbors in Wilton and Lyndeborough:

Many of you know me as a selectman for Wilton and as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives. Some of you know me from as far back as high school, college, as a friend or as a business acquaintance. I am writing to you today as a resident, property owner and taxpayer of Wilton. I am writing to share with you my concern over the SAU-63 School Board’s decision to remove the School Budget Committee from authority over the school budget and demote the committee to that of an advisory functionary. Presently the School Budget Committee derives its authority as delineated by statute under the provisions of RSA 195:12-a. The authority of the School Budget Committee is that of oversight and approval of the bottom line of the total operating budget.

I have provided a link to SAU-63 web site at http://www.sau63.org/ I direct your attention to Article 13 of the Wilton-Lyndeborough Cooperative School District Warrant for the annual district meeting on March 9, 2012.

This article proposes to amend the Articles of Agreement among the school districts of Wilton and Lyndeborough by deleting Article 15 (the authority of the Budget Committee) in its entirety and replace it with a new paragraph which redefines the Budget Committee as an advisor to the School Board, thus allowing the School Board the ability to propose and approve their own budget without any checks and balances.

The authority currently vested in the School Budget Committee is the only oversight that we the taxpayers have on how much the School Board spends of our tax dollars. It is very important that we not relinquish our oversight and control of the budget process. Allowing the School Board the ability to propose the budget and approve the budget places the property tax payers in extreme peril.

In order to effectively represent your concerns over this issue, please participate:

Hearings on proposed changes to Articles of Agreement:

Feb. 8 at 6:30 pm at Wilton-Lyndeborough Cooperative School.

Budget hearing:

Feb. 8 at 7 p.m. at Wilton- Lyndeborough Cooperative School (bring your tax bill with you):

Annual District Meeting, Vote on School Budget and other school warrants (including Article 13):

March 9, 2011 at 7 p.m. at Wilton-Lyndeborough Cooperative Middle-Senior High School Cafeteria In said District.

Election of School District Officers:

March 13, 2012 starting at 8 a.m. at Wilton Town Hall.

March 13, 2012 at starting 10 a.m. at Lyndeborough Town Hall.

You have until 4 p.m. on Feb. 3, to declare your candidacy for school district office (School Board or School Budget Committee, they can use your help). Please file with the school district clerk, Heather Loewy Nichols or Kristina Fowler at the office of the superintendent, located at 1134 Gibbons Highway, (One Chalet Drive) 878-8100.

Please help preserve the authority of the Wilton-Lyndeborough School Budget Committee.

WILLIAM CONDRA

Wilton

See story on Page XX.