Interviews for vigilant successors?

To The Daily Sun,

It is the common fate of the indolent to see their rights become a prey to the active. The condition upon which we retain our liberty is eternal vigilance; which condition if we break, servitude is at once the consequence.

Did John Curran know he spoke spoke a warning to voters of Newfound School District — Alexandria, Bridgewater, Bristol, Danbury, Groton, Hebron and New Hampton? But for a few, energized when an issue surfaces and more attend as a crowd (more on that) a School Board meeting ... held every 2nd Monday at 6:30 p.m. — for the most part, no one appears to argue for the taxpaying citizenry in this forum. Well, Mr. Auger of Bristol’s been present to watch what’s been going on. He’s spoken up and both praised and critiqued with chastisement at times — actions of the Board. He comes with broad and extensive hands-on expertise as an educator, district employee and administrator, a purveyor of detailed knowledge in state law, as a competent past School Budget Committee Chairman.

Mr. Auger attends every Deliberative (first) Session of the Newfound Area School District and votes in every election held, (the second session of the meeting a month later held at the polls). Someday a nominee is needed to take the reins from his commitment to eternal vigilance at being the beacon informing those who serve they’re being watched. With it may come an elixir to soothe any pain we feel as excess taxation, which feeling this year is easily justified. It stems from our administration who fall back on legal reasons recently saying “... our lawyer said she is 60% certain she could defend our recommended action to the Board in court.” Why not make a simpler choice in taxpayers’ favor instead of gambling you might be more right legally than wrong in principal?

Analysis reveals from public information the average unexpended fund balance for the past seven (7) years (read: money left over in late spring from our budget that turns out we didn’t need to tax you for during the prior year) averaged $952,000. This 2018, very late spring we were finally done with budgeted spending, a $1,500,000 unexpended fund balance — (again, read: left over in late spring from our budget that turns out we didn’t need to tax you for, but did so). The highest I can ever recall. And, consistent with several past years, student enrollment declined, and while it varies it’s always negative double-digit numbers and this net loss includes those who tuition from Hill. Yet, somehow, we always build a budget that barely comes in “just under the tax cap” (which allows only a 2% increase on monies raised by taxes the prior year — now do you understand why you get over-taxed each year? It “allows us” to come in under a higher budget that we haven’t needed to the tune of almost $1 million per year, for the last seven). How about we stop that and build a budget at Deliberative Session on February 2nd — with your help — that simply doesn’t overtax you almost a $1,000,000 again? Isn’t that proof we haven’t had to “come in just under the tax cap” in a declining statewide/local enrollment situation? Why grant so many requests for funding, providing a savory menu from which leftover taxpayer funds can be spent prior to, but at the end of the fiscal year? And be told in the newspaper the prior autumn the list was “hard to cut” ... how can something be cut from something that doesn’t exist yet? Those are just items we’d like to have, but put us over our tax cap. Instead of a focus on building improvements again this year, why not a modest raise to support staff addressing an increase in cost of living? Our professional staff is poised for one. Doesn’t it take an entire village to raise a child?

You have a way to take back modest control with a petitioned warrant article option — at least one this year — that advises your School Board with omnipotent control over spending tax money you choose to appropriate, to implement a policy that allows you, as voters, to decide whether capital improvements should be completed or not — by a vote of the public annually, not just by them. Please consider supporting it. It’s your money that gets taxed — so, shouldn’t you decide? To do this, plan to accompany Archie Auger and a few others — your eternally vigilant public guardians of the public trust — to the district-wide School Meeting. “Nominations” — so to speak — to add others to such public trust resources exemplified by them, are Saturday morning, February 2, 2019, at 10:00 a.m. — it’s the Deliberation Session meeting folks — where you vote on matters before you, decide what the voters will see on the physical ballot a month later in March when many more visit polls to cast their choice on what you (or your neighbor? Or only your School Board?) decide what they see on that final ballot. This is where you will be further educated on how to take up the mantle to get control of the most significant local taxation you control each year. Remember, while our Congress may very well be beyond our reach, your local government is not ... at least, yet. That’s why we supposedly like local control in NH. Now prove it. See you at the high school the one time each year you have some say. 10:00 a.m., Saturday, February 2, 2019. (Inclement weather date is two days later on Monday).

“It is the common fate of the indolent to see their rights become a prey to the active. The condition upon which we retain our liberty is eternal vigilance; which condition if we break, servitude is at once the consequence.”

Vincent Paul Migliore

Bridgewater