Tuesday, February 3rd @ 7PM - ORCSD Budget Deliberative Session

The ORCSD Budget Deliberative Session will be held on Tuesday, February 3rd at 7PM at the Oyster River High School. 

The proposed 2009-2010 Warrant Articles may be amended at this meeting. Also, those in attendance, who are Oyster River District residents, may vote on the Warrant Articles. After the Feb. 3rd meeting, the Warrant Articles will be voted on during the local elections held on March 10th.

Go to the ORCSD web site to read the proposed Warrant Articles. You can also call the ORCSD office to obtain this information. It is important to be informed on these Articles and the associated budget.

These are YOUR tax dollars and YOUR children's education on the line. Your attendance and vote matters.

Serious Concerns with ORCSD Warrant Articles and Feb. 3rd Deliberative Session

Recently I took a look at the proposed School Board warrant articles. Many questions come to mind...

* Why are we giving our administrators close to a 4% salary increase in this horrendous economy? 

* Could we not save some teaching / paraprofessional jobs or reduce class room sizing if we simply freezed salaries for administrators in the 2009 - 2010 School Year Budget?

* Why are administrators getting MORE of an increase than our teachers who are receiving a 2% increase?

Also, what are the details behind the Warrant Articles' Capital Improvement and Technology Improvement plans? There is over $600,000 of tax payers' money earmarked for projects. Yet, I find very little detail and no justification for these funds on the ORCSD web site. I am sure there are valid and necessary projects, but I have no way of knowing what they are. 

I've reviewed past Board meeting documents and still can't figure out what is truly being funded for these Improvement projects. In trying to better educate myself on the Warrant Articles, I have sent an email (sent out last week) and made a call to the ORCSD (made call this morning). I am still awaiting a reply.

If any one can shed light on the Warrant Articles, I would appreciate it. We are all feeling the economic pinch in some way. With this, every dollar the ORCSD spends should be spent wisely. What kind of message is our School Board sending when we hear that US unemployment is sky rocketing, yet ORCSD is giving already high paid administrators even more?

I want to vote in an informed manner on February 3rd at the Deliberative Session. Right now, I cannot support some of these Warrant Articles in their current instantiation.