Thank you to our school boards! Your attention has been pulled from your monthly tasks to manage the task brought forward regarding the collaboration of the Twin Valley School District.
I would like to take this opportunity to remind all that the facilities in Whitingham and Wilmington are our schools, yes, owned by the town in which they are located but none-the-less still ours. Our children attend both. We have a school board made up of taxpayers from both towns. They are looking out for the best interest of the students attending, regardless of the town in which the student resides.
To further the discussion from the meeting held on May 5 regarding the numbers and a budget for the Wilmington facility it has been requested that this information be presented during the informational meetings. Due to this petition the current facilities committee has been put on hold, so with this being said I would like to show an example of what the town of Whitingham would be looking at, again only an example. With using a $10 million figure and the current contract, Whitingham would be responsible for approximately 40% of the $10 million thus being four million in addition Whitingham was given a $2 million credit leaving a debt to Whitingham of only $2 million. With a 20-year bond it would resort to approximately $100,000 a year raising the tax rate 4 cents per year based on the information provided in the town reports. For example, with the 09-10 rate being $1.98 this would increase to $2.02. Eligible capital improvements are not subject to the penalty. There will be interest, however, unknown at this time.
I would like very much to know the reasoning behind the petition and why some of you signed. I can only assume or speculate. As a parent of a graduate from Twin Valley as well the parent of a student attending. I would like to state that there are speed bumps (minor issues) at the high school level, however with that being said I also know that every school is dealing with issues.
I know that the concerns I had at the beginning are being either worked on or have been resolved. Every parent/family in every town has school choice. If you are that unhappy with what the town/school district provides to you and your family you can either pay for tuition to send your child elsewhere, get involved, or move!
My reply to Sheldon Dix from a previous letter to the editor: I disagree; our students’ options are limitless.
If our school can’t provide a course they have the option of VHS (Virtual High School), BUHS, the career center and college courses. As well, TVHS has an internship coordinator.
Once we tuition out our children we then lose our voice/vote. I have heard it mentioned on several occasions that we don’t have a voice/vote now; I firmly disagree. I served on the Whitingham School Board for two years attending many TVSD meetings. At no time do I recall any vote ever coming down to a town split.
Regards,
Penny Bernard
Whitingham Resident
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