For Charlé
To the editor:
I want to ask the voters of Oyster River to support Ed Charlé as a candidate for the OR school board. Ed has been a friend of mine for many years. He has the energy to work hard, the curiosity to learn quickly as a new member of the board, the patience to thoroughly explore the issues he will face, and the tolerance to listen respectfully to all points of view — and then to thoughtfully consider them as he participates in school board duties. These are the same skills he puts to effective use in his career as a physician in family practice. During my 30 years as a teacher at the Oyster River Middle School, I had numerous occasions to discuss educational topics with Ed. He has always shown a sincere interest in how the school district operates, and he has frequently offered insightful contributions to conversations about how we could do things more effectively.
I have seen Ed work with kids and adults — from all walks of life. He has the ability to talk with people of varying ages and backgrounds and to do so with interest and concern, but without condescension. Since school board members represent the entire range of students and taxpayers in this district, board members have to be flexible, responsive, and humane. They also need to be able to interact with each other and with members of the public in a consistently courteous manner.
Running a school district, while balancing the needs of students with the burdens of taxpayers, is a huge job. Ed Charlé can work hard to effectively represent us. Let's give him the chance.
John Parsons
Durham
Vote for Maria
To the editor:
I am writing to urge you to vote for Maria Barth to represent Lee on the Oyster River School Board in the upcoming election, March 13.
She brings 17 years experience of leadership on the Kittery Town Council and School Board there. Also, Maria is no newcomer to the Oyster River district, having educated her children in the Oyster River schools while she and her husband lived in Durham. She is an advocate for public education, stating that it is the foundation of our democracy. It provides the people and innovation we need to sustain our competitiveness in the world.
Maria will strive for fairness, openness, civility and adherence to the law in performance of all board functions. Maria will oversee an educational system that helps students acquire the necessary skills to address the challenging demands of an ever-changing world.
Vote for Maria Barth for Oyster River School Board and help to increase the confidence of the community in our schools, teachers and students.
Sharon Meeker
Lee
Yes to Kach
To the editor:
According to the Oyster River Cooperative School District (ORCSD), the cost per student, and therefore, property taxes in Durham, Lee, and Madbury are going up again while enrollment in our schools is declining. I urge all voters to go to the polls on Tuesday, March 13 and vote "no" on Articles 5, 6, and 7. Please vote "Yes" to re-elect Henry Brackett and Jim Kach, the only candidates focused on reversing these trends.
Those who support raising taxes in our district have been quite vocal about an old, meaningless, Twitter account. They are also publicly expressing resentment at School Board meetings to reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to our country's flag; comparing it to Nazi Germany's forced salute to Hitler (a refusal to salute Hitler would have resulted in immediate death). These two items are intentional distractions from the financial mess created in our school district over the past 12 years.
The rising school budget is not sustainable while enrollments continue to drop. More families are moving out of our school district than are moving in. According to our own district's projections, 400 fewer students will be enrolled in ORCSD in ten years.
Please vote "no" to the school budget. Say "no" to higher taxes. Vote "yes" to re-elect Henry Brackett and Jim Kach.
Keith Mistretta
Durham
About FORE
To the editor:
People and organizations can claim anything, but the proof is in the results of their actions. FORE claims to be for education, for the students. The results of their efforts do not support their claims.
The ORHS has lost about 140 students in the last 10 years, yet added 10 more teachers. The high school is now rated as # 4 or 6 depending on the source.
The student teacher ratio is 15:1. The top three high schools in the state have student teacher ratios of 18/19:1. Oyster River spends over $15,000 per student per year, but (including food and transportation that totals more than $19,000). The top three high schools spend between $12,000, and $13,000.
FORE says it is for education, but they say nothing about affordable education. They ignore the fact that the school board faces two distinct issues ¨C education, and affordability. The board has a responsibility to the land owners/taxpayers to protect their interests by providing the best education that the tax payers can afford.
The most blatant display of FORE ignorance is that they always ignore facts. In fact they seem to enjoy flouting their opinions in total disregard of any factual material. They could be effective if they could contribute something positive to the real education of our students instead of constantly being negative.
Jeff Kolter
Durham
Follow RTK
To the editor:
Two judges have ruled that the Oyster River School Board under Chairman Henry Brackett violated the Right-to-Know (RTK) law. At recent candidate forums, Henry Brackett and Jim Kach refused to acknowledge their guilt.
Because of these repeated violations, the judge enjoined the board. Future RTK violations risk contempt of court and possible jail time, confirming these are not frivolous technical issues. Both decisions detail over 40 pages of violations: http://www.orol.org/rtk/
Instead of admitting his guilt, Brackett said the first case had been appealed. That was patently untrue. Though they avoided answering the question, their true sentiments shone through.
Brackett and Kach said they just followed expert advice. But, last April the board entered nonpublic session against explicit legal advice. And, no experts were involved in illegal interim superintendent interviews. Just Brackett, Kach and Megan Turnbull breaking the law.
At the forum, Kach quipped that they should "hire a better lawyer." He didn't mention that they failed to do just that. Even though Ann Wright suggested lawyers with school law expertise, the Board chose a friend of Brackett for the superintendent buyout. Even worse, Brackett had the lawyer and a PR firm send invoices to his home, hiding them from RTK requests.
Jim Kach did admit that Brackett delayed searching emails until after he was sued. They did not admit they violated RTK laws when they decided Colter's buyout at meetings held with lawyers. Neither acknowledged the secret interviews of candidates at the Police Station were illegal. In fact, in June Brackett outright denied he held these interviews.
I expected to settle out of court. The board decided to fight the suit in court, wasting about $60,000, which is in addition to the $185,000 already wasted to buy out one remaining year of Superintendent Colter's contract.
It is time for the voters to elect a Board that will work for the community, not hide from it. Vote March 13 for four new candidates who pledge to follow RTK: Maria Barth, Tom Newkirk, Ed Charlé and Al Howland.
David K. Taylor
Durham
Vote for Ed Charlé
To the editor:
On March 13, residents in the Oyster River School District will elect candidates to fill the four available seats on the School Board. I would like to encourage voters in Durham, Lee, and Madbury to consider casting their vote for Ed Charlé for the open Madbury seat. His experiences and fresh perspective make him an ideal candidate at this critical point in time.
Ed Charlé's career as a family physician brings him in contact with patients of all ages. Over his career he has treated many children and young adults. His medical background will not only help inform the board's decisions when evaluating school district health policy and programs, but will assist in communicating this information to the broader school community. His knowledge of physical health and nutrition will be useful as the ORCSD finalizes its wellness policy.
Through his practice and work at Langdon Place and Riverside Rest Home, Dr. Charlé works with many patients who are on a fixed income and he is keenly aware of the need to be cost conscious. He will be a careful steward of our financial resources, mindful of both quality and cost.
Most importantly, Ed Charlé is a respectful listener who takes time to understand situations. He works with people of different ages, genders, and backgrounds, accepting their life choices and thinking carefully about what they have to say. He is an advocate for his patients and will be an advocate for our schools. He comes with no preset agendas or notions.
Ed is untainted by any of the recent disagreements surrounding our school district, and is a person who will listen to all of the people in our community and consider their concerns and suggestions with an open mind. I urge you to vote for him.
Lorna Jacobsen
Madbury
Strong schools
To the editor:
It is vital that citizens in the Oyster River School District turn out to vote to support and strengthen our schools on March 13. We need a new, fresh School Board as well as continuity in funding for vital school services.
There is a move afoot to reject the proposed school budget (Article 7). Without a budget in place, however, our district will be thrown into chaos, and who will suffer above all?
The children, of course. It is important to know that the budget on the ballot is not an increase — it is a flat budget, which means that the schools actually have less to work with than last year due to fixed costs. This flat or reduced budget is the result of a compromise, forged in response to vocal demands for budget cutting, and later validated by voters at the deliberative session a few weeks ago.
Whether you are in favor of increasing funding for basic district needs and new initiatives, or you want to slash the schools' funding, we all must unite to pass the budget on the ballot.
The alternative is grim and will only result in more rancor in the community as well as lost opportunities for our children. Vote yes on Article 7.
Julia Rodriguez
Durham
To the editor:
I want to ask the voters of Oyster River to support Ed Charlé as a candidate for the OR school board. Ed has been a friend of mine for many years. He has the energy to work hard, the curiosity to learn quickly as a new member of the board, the patience to thoroughly explore the issues he will face, and the tolerance to listen respectfully to all points of view — and then to thoughtfully consider them as he participates in school board duties. These are the same skills he puts to effective use in his career as a physician in family practice. During my 30 years as a teacher at the Oyster River Middle School, I had numerous occasions to discuss educational topics with Ed. He has always shown a sincere interest in how the school district operates, and he has frequently offered insightful contributions to conversations about how we could do things more effectively.
I have seen Ed work with kids and adults — from all walks of life. He has the ability to talk with people of varying ages and backgrounds and to do so with interest and concern, but without condescension. Since school board members represent the entire range of students and taxpayers in this district, board members have to be flexible, responsive, and humane. They also need to be able to interact with each other and with members of the public in a consistently courteous manner.
Running a school district, while balancing the needs of students with the burdens of taxpayers, is a huge job. Ed Charlé can work hard to effectively represent us. Let's give him the chance.
John Parsons
Durham
Vote for Maria
To the editor:
I am writing to urge you to vote for Maria Barth to represent Lee on the Oyster River School Board in the upcoming election, March 13.
She brings 17 years experience of leadership on the Kittery Town Council and School Board there. Also, Maria is no newcomer to the Oyster River district, having educated her children in the Oyster River schools while she and her husband lived in Durham. She is an advocate for public education, stating that it is the foundation of our democracy. It provides the people and innovation we need to sustain our competitiveness in the world.
Maria will strive for fairness, openness, civility and adherence to the law in performance of all board functions. Maria will oversee an educational system that helps students acquire the necessary skills to address the challenging demands of an ever-changing world.
Vote for Maria Barth for Oyster River School Board and help to increase the confidence of the community in our schools, teachers and students.
Sharon Meeker
Lee
Yes to Kach
To the editor:
According to the Oyster River Cooperative School District (ORCSD), the cost per student, and therefore, property taxes in Durham, Lee, and Madbury are going up again while enrollment in our schools is declining. I urge all voters to go to the polls on Tuesday, March 13 and vote "no" on Articles 5, 6, and 7. Please vote "Yes" to re-elect Henry Brackett and Jim Kach, the only candidates focused on reversing these trends.
Those who support raising taxes in our district have been quite vocal about an old, meaningless, Twitter account. They are also publicly expressing resentment at School Board meetings to reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to our country's flag; comparing it to Nazi Germany's forced salute to Hitler (a refusal to salute Hitler would have resulted in immediate death). These two items are intentional distractions from the financial mess created in our school district over the past 12 years.
The rising school budget is not sustainable while enrollments continue to drop. More families are moving out of our school district than are moving in. According to our own district's projections, 400 fewer students will be enrolled in ORCSD in ten years.
Please vote "no" to the school budget. Say "no" to higher taxes. Vote "yes" to re-elect Henry Brackett and Jim Kach.
Keith Mistretta
Durham
About FORE
To the editor:
People and organizations can claim anything, but the proof is in the results of their actions. FORE claims to be for education, for the students. The results of their efforts do not support their claims.
The ORHS has lost about 140 students in the last 10 years, yet added 10 more teachers. The high school is now rated as # 4 or 6 depending on the source.
The student teacher ratio is 15:1. The top three high schools in the state have student teacher ratios of 18/19:1. Oyster River spends over $15,000 per student per year, but (including food and transportation that totals more than $19,000). The top three high schools spend between $12,000, and $13,000.
FORE says it is for education, but they say nothing about affordable education. They ignore the fact that the school board faces two distinct issues ¨C education, and affordability. The board has a responsibility to the land owners/taxpayers to protect their interests by providing the best education that the tax payers can afford.
The most blatant display of FORE ignorance is that they always ignore facts. In fact they seem to enjoy flouting their opinions in total disregard of any factual material. They could be effective if they could contribute something positive to the real education of our students instead of constantly being negative.
Jeff Kolter
Durham
Follow RTK
To the editor:
Two judges have ruled that the Oyster River School Board under Chairman Henry Brackett violated the Right-to-Know (RTK) law. At recent candidate forums, Henry Brackett and Jim Kach refused to acknowledge their guilt.
Because of these repeated violations, the judge enjoined the board. Future RTK violations risk contempt of court and possible jail time, confirming these are not frivolous technical issues. Both decisions detail over 40 pages of violations: http://www.orol.org/rtk/
Instead of admitting his guilt, Brackett said the first case had been appealed. That was patently untrue. Though they avoided answering the question, their true sentiments shone through.
Brackett and Kach said they just followed expert advice. But, last April the board entered nonpublic session against explicit legal advice. And, no experts were involved in illegal interim superintendent interviews. Just Brackett, Kach and Megan Turnbull breaking the law.
At the forum, Kach quipped that they should "hire a better lawyer." He didn't mention that they failed to do just that. Even though Ann Wright suggested lawyers with school law expertise, the Board chose a friend of Brackett for the superintendent buyout. Even worse, Brackett had the lawyer and a PR firm send invoices to his home, hiding them from RTK requests.
Jim Kach did admit that Brackett delayed searching emails until after he was sued. They did not admit they violated RTK laws when they decided Colter's buyout at meetings held with lawyers. Neither acknowledged the secret interviews of candidates at the Police Station were illegal. In fact, in June Brackett outright denied he held these interviews.
I expected to settle out of court. The board decided to fight the suit in court, wasting about $60,000, which is in addition to the $185,000 already wasted to buy out one remaining year of Superintendent Colter's contract.
It is time for the voters to elect a Board that will work for the community, not hide from it. Vote March 13 for four new candidates who pledge to follow RTK: Maria Barth, Tom Newkirk, Ed Charlé and Al Howland.
David K. Taylor
Durham
Vote for Ed Charlé
To the editor:
On March 13, residents in the Oyster River School District will elect candidates to fill the four available seats on the School Board. I would like to encourage voters in Durham, Lee, and Madbury to consider casting their vote for Ed Charlé for the open Madbury seat. His experiences and fresh perspective make him an ideal candidate at this critical point in time.
Ed Charlé's career as a family physician brings him in contact with patients of all ages. Over his career he has treated many children and young adults. His medical background will not only help inform the board's decisions when evaluating school district health policy and programs, but will assist in communicating this information to the broader school community. His knowledge of physical health and nutrition will be useful as the ORCSD finalizes its wellness policy.
Through his practice and work at Langdon Place and Riverside Rest Home, Dr. Charlé works with many patients who are on a fixed income and he is keenly aware of the need to be cost conscious. He will be a careful steward of our financial resources, mindful of both quality and cost.
Most importantly, Ed Charlé is a respectful listener who takes time to understand situations. He works with people of different ages, genders, and backgrounds, accepting their life choices and thinking carefully about what they have to say. He is an advocate for his patients and will be an advocate for our schools. He comes with no preset agendas or notions.
Ed is untainted by any of the recent disagreements surrounding our school district, and is a person who will listen to all of the people in our community and consider their concerns and suggestions with an open mind. I urge you to vote for him.
Lorna Jacobsen
Madbury
Strong schools
To the editor:
It is vital that citizens in the Oyster River School District turn out to vote to support and strengthen our schools on March 13. We need a new, fresh School Board as well as continuity in funding for vital school services.
There is a move afoot to reject the proposed school budget (Article 7). Without a budget in place, however, our district will be thrown into chaos, and who will suffer above all?
The children, of course. It is important to know that the budget on the ballot is not an increase — it is a flat budget, which means that the schools actually have less to work with than last year due to fixed costs. This flat or reduced budget is the result of a compromise, forged in response to vocal demands for budget cutting, and later validated by voters at the deliberative session a few weeks ago.
Whether you are in favor of increasing funding for basic district needs and new initiatives, or you want to slash the schools' funding, we all must unite to pass the budget on the ballot.
The alternative is grim and will only result in more rancor in the community as well as lost opportunities for our children. Vote yes on Article 7.
Julia Rodriguez
Durham
Did you know your vote on article 7 affects only one quarter of one percent of the $38 million budget? Find out more from my biased yet informative voting guide at http://orcsdcleanslate.blogspot.com/2012/03/election-information.html
ReplyDeleteDean Rubine, Lee
Dean...did you know that FORE's showing at the deliberative session comparatively accomplished the same results percentage-wise to the budget? I take it...it wasn't about the money but about the principle and the "will" of the voters. I look at it the same way when the technology improvement plan got voted down twice in two years. It wasn't about the money but the message that the vote sent.
ReplyDeleteHowever, it doesn't matter. Did YOU know Dean that the district spent the money ANYWAY on the technology items the voters specifically voted down? This was a board where FORE members JoAnn Portalupi and David Taylor both served on. How is FORE looking out for the public and its "will" when, while they were duly elected officials, had no care for it.
The difference? No one sued.
Hi S.D.T. You do know David Taylor is not running for anything, right?
DeleteThe deliberative session added about 0.4% to the budget. One third of the addition will definitely be appropriated; the remainder will be voted on tomorrow. And I wouldn't call it "FORE's showing". I count 27 members of FORE on their site. Many more than that showed up at the deliberative session to vote for the increase.
Let's stop worrying about what members of boards past who aren't running have done, and concentrate on the candidates who are running. The T.E.A.M. I'm supporting - Tom, Ed, Al and Maria - are not previous board members, are not members of FORE, and have promised to listen to EVERYONE in the community. The incumbents are serial lawbreakers who created or condoned last summer's vile tweets and consistently act to divide the community. Find out more at ORCSDcleanslate.org.
- Dean Rubine, Lee
Mr. Taylor...if you're reading this. Talk about the "veto" power you wished to have over the board. As I recall, you lost the last election. You should not be granted this power over a board representative of their constituents. As someone said in a letter recently, you (Mr. Taylor) do NOT represent me as a voter. I doubt any board would have caved into your demands.
ReplyDeleteWhen will you talk about that? I ask anyone...if being bullied in the justice system...would you settle or stand up for yourselves.
It was the community who was bullied by a board that hired a secret lawyer, had secret meetings and secret votes to do their secret buyout. Mr. Taylor is to be commended for bringing this illegal behavior to light. He was vindicated twice by the courts In the second case the judge punished the board by ordering the most serious penalty available to him. Vote the lawbreakers out and the new T.E.A.M. in - Tom, Ed, Al and Maria. More at ORCSDcleanslate.org.
DeleteWhatever the outcome tomorrow, I am looking forward to never mentioning the tweets or these lawsuits again.
- Dean Rubine, Lee
I'm looking forward to Dean never mentioning Jim Kach's tweets or David Taylor's lawsuits again, too. If he stops pimping his site, that would be a trifecta!
ReplyDeleteIt's possible he's even surpassed Donald's lifetime record of pushing Dr. Tim Richards in a few short days.
I too am looking forward to that. However, will David Taylor STOP his obsessive compulsion to thwart district progress? I'm sure he will if Henry and Jim lose tomorrow. That will also be telling. Will Taylor bring his endorsed candidates to court for any future violations that may occur or will he turn a blind eye?
ReplyDelete