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Here is the video.  It was a brief pep rally (48 minutes) and it looks like no one attended except the panel, but Mr. La Salle presents the Capital Investment plan and talks about the Sandown Consolidation.  The deliberative session and Sandown public meeting were better, but this is complete, so enjoy!

 

 Evening with Timberlane 02/17/09: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

In case you missed it, there was a public meeting on the Sandown Consolidation at the Sandown North school.  Superintendent Richard La Salle and project manager Lance Whitehead of Lavalle Brensinger Architects were the primary speakers.  The information shared can be found here.

There was little new information.  I remain unconvinced that the new school will benefit the kids or the taxpayers.    Many of the benefits of the new project were deficiencies seven years ago and defecits of the old building will be benefits in the new.  The savings claims are not credible and I was reminded that we have NINETEEN years remaining on the bond for the last project.  I jotted down some notes…

• Attendance was greater than expected — there were half as many handouts as attendees.  Most in the crowd (as in almost everyone) were skeptical.  Many left before the presentation was over.
• Mr. Whitehead promised to replace displaced wetlands twofold — possibly tenfold — on the school premises.  I guess people don’t think much about west nile virus in March.  A member of the Sandown conservation committee told Mr. Whitehead that the town of Sandown had already done much of the wetland studies the SAU was planning and wondered why Sandown experts had not been consulted.
• It turns out the ledge that caused so many problems during the last construction project is probably just boulders.
• Historically, Timberlane renovates schools every twelve years.  Until now, the renovations have been to accomodate more students.  The new construction will accommodate roughly the same number of children as the existing schools.  Don’t worry, though, because there is room for many new additions.  I expect we will be voting for one before the bond for this addition is paid off.
• Mr. Stokinger suggested that we could save money by transporting the childres from P-5 on the same busses.  How ’bout we consolidate half empty middle and high school busses that ALREADY go to the same building?  For the record, I proposed this years ago and was told it was risky to mix the older kids with the middle school kids.  Also, what is wrong with having a bus stop at Sandown Central then again at Sandown North?  You know, halve the stops for kids by making one additional dropoff.
• Mr. La Salle said the consolidation would not be his highest priority in a perfect world.
• 5th grade, music, and health/tech will be on the second floor.  Disabled students will access the second floor by elevator.  In the case of a fire, the elevator will be unavailable and the disabled children will be brought to designated areas where they will be sprinkled until they can be evacuated.  A two story solution is a BAD idea forced on the SAU by deficiencies in the existing site.
• Mr. La Salle listed these positions as savings opportunities…
  • Principal
  • Nurses
  • Secretaries
  • Cafeteria staff
  • Custodians
• The design includes a soccer field, but it will not be for use during school hours since it is surrounded by roads (a deficiency in the existing configuration).
• There is an opportunity to partner ($$$) with Sandown to create Emergency Space/Shelters.
• This remedies a major deficiency of Timberlane kindergarten — inadequate 860 sq. ft. rooms will be upgraded to adequate 1200 sq. ft. rooms.   Isn’t this a tax impact?
• The new building can accomodatge Timberlane preschool.  Um…not to say there will be taxpayer funded daycare — just that the SAU is ready when you are!

Please vote NO on TRSD warrant article #3.

No one is losing a job. The savings are based solely on maintenance expenses.

TRSD Warrant Article 3 asks for a half million dollars to study consolidation of the two Sandown elementary schools.  SAU administration members and supportive school board members tout this as another ‘win/win’ for taxpayers and the schools.  They claim the consolidation will save money while improving education.

Taxpayers are skeptical — with good reason.  The SAU has a long standing tradition of exagerated claims, broken promises, and deliberate deceptions.  The Consolidation is not going to break with tradition.

On February 5th at the TRSD Deliberative Session, Mr. La Salle said cost savings would include elimination of redundant staff.  Later in the meeting, he cited salary among savings.  Less than two weeks later, the Eagle Tribune is reporting that no jobs will be lost to the consolidation.

Note: Speaking of deliberate deceptions, part of the justification of this new construction is that our ‘No Tax Impact’ kindergarten program is housed in inadequate  rooms.

 

 Mr. La Salle Promises Salary Savings: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

A piece of it, anyway.  The session was a rubber stamping of the warrants with the exception of  Warrant Atricle 3 — the Sandown Schools Consolidation Project.  When this article reached the floor, Sandown residents initiated a spirited debate that ended in a vote to amend the warrant that failed 34 to 29.  The members of the School Board and Budget Committee voted 11 to 1 against the amendment.   Sentiment among nonmembers ran 54% to 46% in favor of the amendment which simply removed funding for permits until after studies were complete and the district approved construction.

Enjoy the clip and be sure to vote against the proposed budget and warrants in March!

 

 2009 Timberlane Deliberative Session: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download