Who Believes Less Is More For The Children?
The following letter was published in local newspapers and is shared with us here by the author Michael Chambers. Michael is a member of the Charlestown Economic Improvement Commission and a former member of the Charlestown Zoning Board of Review.
On April 5, Charlestown, Richmond, and Hopkinton taxpayers will be asked to vote on the Fiscal Year 2022-23 Chariho school budget. At approximately $55.8 million, this takes up a substantial portion of the towns’ budgets. As a matter of fact, school budgets are the largest portions of town budgets statewide. The real problem is not in the bottom line but in the buying power of today’s dollar compared to 20 years ago. Just for comparison’s sake, the $55.8 million in today’s dollar has the same buying power as $34 million in FY 2000.
If the school budget is not passed, then the Chariho District will have to run on last year’s budget, spending this year’s dollars, a taxpayer’s double whammy. Vendors and service providers are not going to lower their prices, so Chariho would have to do with less. The increases in gas and heating oil will have a crippling effect on the schools.
Chariho is a high-performing school system. It has excellent teachers. Its students perform very well on standardized tests. The parents are involved and committed to having the best educational benefits available for their children. Not passing the Chariho budget, which is totally in line with the cost of living, will not serve the children.
Who believes that less is more where our children are concerned? Why would anyone think that spending less on education will result in better outcomes? If there is one investment we can make for the future, it’s with the children. Vote on April 5, and I urge you to vote “YES.”
Michael Chambers