Join the debate over school funding
Published on February 6th, 2002
STONEHAM, MA - All over Stoneham people are talking about the School Department’s Special Town Meeting article, the request to add funds under the debt exclusion to complete the school building project.
A great deal of heat has been generated by the public relations machines of both camps. Citizens want to know what voting yes to fund the project or no will mean to Stoneham and themselves.
In an effort to present both sides of the story, The Independent has decided to facilitate a print debate. Our goal is to moderate a healthy forum that lays out the facts and thus allows citizens to make informed choices at the March 4 Special Town Meeting.
THE RULES: People may submit no more than 500 words by noon Friday, arguing the pros and/or cons of voting yes or no. The submissions must be signed. The article running today is a sample drafted by our staff. Every week through Feb. 21 we will print a viewpoint from each side. Sometimes we may summarize multiple submissions to represent one viewpoint. Writers can address points made in the previous edition or introduce new information.
Information that cannot be verified will be scrapped. If people don’t behave — personal attacks, false claims, fudged figures — we’ll cancel the series.
The Feb. 28 edition will summarize and synthesize the debate.
VOTE NO:
One reason to vote no is simple. The schools already got $40,000,000, which is more than enough money to build four buildings. If the first two schools used up more than half the amount, then the last two schools should be forced to split whatever remains. Force them to make the difficult decisions that they volunteered to take on.
The two new schools replaced buildings that were 75 and one 100 years old. The next two schools are not even 50 years old. They can wait. They are younger than most of us.
We don’t need to finish the project. It's not like our kids have nowhere to go. If construction costs are so high right now. Let's stop and wait for them to come back down again. There is no urgency. There is no need to get it all done at once.
A second reason to vote no is because I don't want any more tax increases. I have vowed to vote against every tax increase. You should too. I just paid my February property tax bill assessed at $260,000. The tax bill went up by fifty-five dollars. Twenty-five dollars is due to Proposition 2-1/2 and thirty dollars is the result of the $40,000,000 debt exclusion. Like everyone else, I have bills to pay today and car insurance bills coming soon. In this economy, more taxes are bad news.
This article at Town Meeting on March 4 will increase next year's tax bill by an extra seventeen dollars. Tax bills increase already because Proposition 2-1/2 and the original debt exclusion. This article is an additional increase. Are you crazy to vote money out of what you have in your hard-earned bank account?
I understand that $1,2000,000 was used to clean up the bike path. If that the case, I will listen to giving the schools money to cover those expenses at the May Town Meeting. But no extra money ever comes from a tax increase. Let's politely say, “No, Thank you.'' on March 4.
VOTE YES:
Extra money is needed to complete four similar schools as the community originally requested. Every effort has been made to keep the project within the original $40,000,000 appropriation. The change order expenses for South and Central Schools total less than one percent of the money spent. The costs incurred are the lowest bids received to construct what was designed. Construction costs have escalated beyond anyone's imagination. The committee of town volunteers has opted for best value engineering and construction decisions throughout the project. Please support their tireless efforts and accept their recommendations.
A number of factors have worked in the town's favor. Low long-term interest rates have helped. Please recognize how fortunate the town is to have begun this project when we did. We have received state aid before these projects were completed. At worst we have had to wait a year. Some communities who are now beginning to start the school construction process are being told by the state that they must wait seven to 10 years before receiving state aid. Many of these communities have discontinued attempts to replace outdated buildings. Stoneham is about to complete its replacement and renovations. We have done the right thing and are in better shape than other communities. Please help to finish this project.
The accelerated state aid that helped us to reduce interest costs and realize investment income created a two-year bubble in the debt exclusion payments. This year and next project sharp increases in the property tax bills. After this wave passes, the debt exclusion fades away to become nothing.
If a total of $40,000,000 is spent, but the last school is not built to be similar to the other three, the town receives $18,700,000 of state aid and the town spends $21,300,000. If this article succeeds to increase the project spending to be $46,000,000, the state aid will total over $24,000,000 and the town spends less than $22,000,000. The additional appropriation is a good deal for the town, great bang for our bucks.
Plus, having four modern schools with similar facilities is a mark of excellence that will benefit Stoneham children and reflect back on the community. We voted for these schools because we believed it was the right thing for Stoneham. It still is.
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