Should We Vote for Salem Phase 2 Renovations? I Say NO

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Salem-NH-Taxpayers-Association/305572479481252

Return to rational thought….

The school renovations and master facility plan are a very hot topic these days.  There is propaganda everywhere regarding this impending vote. In my opinion people are avoiding facts and playing on the emotions of our town’s mothers and fathers in order to encourage a Yes or No vote on the Phase 2 renovations.  I’d like to invite everyone to set the emotions aside and consider both sides of the issue.

Reasons to support the Phase 2 renovations

1. Deferred maintenance on the three remaining elementary schools has left them in need of significant repair plus we need some extra room for kindergarten requirements.
2. Renovations will provide additional or expanded safety features to these schools.  To put parents at ease it should be noted that the children at these schools are currently safe per the superintendent.  For example, as long as the asbestos remains undisturbed in the tiles, there is ZERO danger to the children. 
3. Starting next year we will need to pay $40,000 per year for the travel trailers.  Renovations would eliminate this charge.
4. Current bond rates are so low, we would be crazy not to borrow for SOMETHING!  Labor costs are also low and some materials are also currently low cost.
5. Renovations would give us upgraded (read – more efficient) utilities and add sprinkler systems to our schools.  Once again, note that the children are safe in the schools should a fire occur, they are made out of fire retardant materials that meet safety standards.  However, extra water is always “welcome” should there be a fire.
6. If we vote no and delay remediation of all of the maintenance issues at the remaining elementary schools, we are sending our school board and administration “back to the drawing board” which will cost additional fees to the architect and delay the remediation of the current issues even longer.
7. Once the schools are renovated, we will be able to eliminate the travel trailers and accommodate the current enrollment.  Short term enrollment projections indicate a current downward trend.  Even with cyclical enrollment assumptions, we do not expect to see anytime soon enrollment much higher than current figures.

Reasons to vote NO on the Phase 2 School Renovations

1. We have been deferring for years the maintenance and Capital Improvement Projects (CIP). With renovated schools, will the budget line item for maintenance ($1.69 million) need to go up since we have not been maintaining the schools with this money?
2. Phase 2 renovations will cost a taxpayer with a $300,000 home $137 per year (year 1 and 2 are lower).  In 2013-14, the school board will present us with Phase 3 (high school) and in 2015-16 with Phase 4 (middle school).  Current estimates for phase 3 and 4 are an additional $80 million.  Straight extrapolation from Phase 2 costs would indicate that Phase 3 and 4 will cost the same taxpayer $500-plus per year (if interest rates and construction costs stay the same but not likely).  If we incorporate the $87 per year additional this taxpayer is paying already from Phase 1, we are at a total of $724 ($137+$500+$87) per year per $300,000 evaluation in additional taxes.  This is no small amount of money and there are other town needs that are competing for our tax dollars as well.
3. Salem’s tax rate is already middle of the road for the surrounding towns. The additional taxes for the school renovations will put our tax burden towards the high end of our neighboring towns.  High taxes are a detriment to new families moving to town
   Salem 2011 tax rate is $20.14 per thousand appraised value (note that once all four phases are complete, we would be in the $23 per thousand range if nothing else in town raised taxes or was fixed).
   Windham is $23.08
   Pelham is $21.41
   Hudson is $16.62
   Atkinson is $18.80
   Londonderry is $20.34
4. The cost to educate a student in Salem was $6,362 in the 2001-2002 school year.  In 2008-2009 we have increased this cost to $9,240.  This is an astronomical 45 percent increase in cost over seven years and this represents no capital improvements on our schools at all. 
5. Total school enrollment is down 26 percent since 2006 (approximately 5,000 students versus 2012 – approximately 4,000 students).  Current renovation plans do not provide for an increase in this enrollment, should it occur if student population is cyclical.
6. Our school board as repeatedly deferred maintenance items on the un-renovated schools in anticipation of the renovations thus forcing voters to follow their agenda rather than looking out for our interests and wallets.
7. There are many other buildings and roads in our town that also need significant capital improvement (police department, fire department, roads).  While the school board can only look at the school budget, we, as tax payers, must look at all of the strains on our wallets.
8. When a new family is considering coming to the town, they will research two items online.  The first is the tax rate, see #3 above to know how we are faring with this point and our student’s test scores and statistics about how Salem competes academically with the surrounding towns.  In 2010-2011 28 percent of our 11^th graders were proficient or proficient with distinction in Math, 70 percent for reading and 35 percent for writing.  This compares to Windham’s 39 percent math, 78 percent reading, and 47 percent writing.  For 2009-2010 we have to look to a different town because Windham was a part of our system.  Salem:  40 percent math, 83 percent reading, and 51 percent writing and Derry was 44 percent math, 89 percent reading and 57 percent writing.  We are significantly lower than both of these towns and fare similar to most of our other neighbors if you expand this research.  Additionally,  our SAT scores are below the state average.  The SHS SAT average 503 critical reading, 513 math and 502 writing.  NH State SAT average 514 critical reading, 516 math and 502 writing.  *Source SHS Guidance Director Heidi Greenlaw

For me, the arguments to vote against the Phase 2 renovations is stronger than to support it.  I do not think this school board and superintendent, with so much invested in years of planning, will change the Master Facility plans for Phase 3 and 4 much, even if we vote down Phase 2.  We must send a clear message to them that they need a renovation plan that is affordable as well as meeting all the current needs.  In order to do so, we need to vote no on Phase 2 and vote in new school board members.  In my opinion I think we should concentrate on critical infrastructure needs, stop deferring of maintenance, get our  teachers raises, institute merit staff bonuses and fix performance issues. 

I love our town and I am an active member in the community.  I coach, volunteer, and donate my time.  If you disagree with me, then I suggest that you vote for the renovations and I appreciate your time and thoughtful consideration. We need to understand that we can disagree on this issue and still want what’s best for our children and our community. I think we can also discuss the issue without being disagreeable or attacking people personally.  Whatever your opinion or choice is I hope to see all of you involved in fixing of the schools after this vote is over. Regardless of the outcome of this vote, there is a lot of work to do!

Dane Hoover

Salem Taxpayers Association on facebook.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Salem-NH-Taxpayers-Association/305572479481252