Selling the Budget, Selling Out the Community
Danville’s senior TRSD Budget Committee member read Mr. La Salle’s warrant article to the public Thursday. She went on to deliver Mr. La Salle’s pitch including an explanation that Mr. La Salle — not the budget committee — is responsible for preparing the budget and that School Board Policy — not New Hampshire State Law — governs the process. I disagree on all counts.
You should be outraged. Despite deflation, falling energy costs, declining enrollment, and a contracting tax base, Mr. La Salle has asked for a 2% increase in the budget PLUS a separate warrant to pay for raises negotiated in a new teachers contract. In an era of frozen wages, layoffs, and making do, Mr. La Salle has secured a 2% pay increase for SAU 55’s highest paid administrators.
If you think you can vote against this, you are wrong. Mr. La Salle’s default budget is HIGHER than his ‘approved’ budget. At the last budget committee meeting, there was a heated discussion of the legality of the default budget that ending with a red faced Mr. La Salle apologizing for his outburst. You can’t watch this because the TRSD Budget Committee refuses to televise its meetings. This is not detailed in the sanitized minutes.
If you think this is much ado about nothing, you are wrong. This isn’t just about taxes. Budget committees provide direction and set priorities. Our high school is underperforming. It has been designated a School In Need of Improvement for five consecutive years — despite ever increasing budgets.
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Concerned parent of two children in the TRSD school system who pays taxes and is not employed by -- or contracted to -- the town or the SAU...one of the Rest of Us