What do you think of the idea of Freedom, Madison and Tamworth rejoining SAU 9?

There were 14 responses to this week's Tele-Talk question: "What do you think of the idea of Freedom, Madison and Tamworth rejoining SAU 9?" Three people strongly disagreed with the idea of the districts in School Administrative Unit 13 rejoining SAU 9; four said rejoining SAU 9 would be a good move; six said it would be a good idea to study the option. Tony Simone writing in from Moscow, Russia:I have heard, with despair, the possibility of SAU 13 returning to SAU 9. I served as Principal of the Kenneth A. Brett School in Tamworth for 14 years, from the late eighties to 1999. The issues were simple from the start and it has not changed. Parents want accountability with their tax dollars. They felt then that this was not happening and that local control was better than being in a large organization that could not service their needs. Our minds forget, but I need to ask the question: How many generations have to go down the road to Conway to understand who you really are in the southern schools in reference to educational issues? The faces have changed, the intent might be genuine, but the reality is you are the "out-lying districts" and in the view of some ... just revenue. Will you have a voice? Conway and related towns have just too many big issues and projects to be concerned with three small towns.Whatever guarantee is made, I doubt that it will ever equal the service they are getting now. Tamworth, Madison and Freedom were viewed then and now as "the poor cousins or second rate to the Conways and the rest of the valley." That was the prevailing view then and I would hold that this still exists no matter what platitudes are said today.Service to the "feeder" schools was minimal with little concern for their issues, mistakes in business practices and domination of curriculum. Because of this, three towns and 13 board members fought a three-year battle to secede from SAU 9. During that time, studies, research and surveys were done; votes were taken and these three brave towns were sent on their own to forge a new era in educational "accountability."The same nay-sayers then are back on the road again hoping to cash in on the present financial crises.I am sure that if you crunch the numbers you will see a savings.But I can guarantee you that this initial saving will be met with increases you have no control over, like paying for all the services to the other towns that they will claim you get as well. SAU 9 is a big organization and it dominate the daily agenda.That is what happened then and that is what will happen again. In a short time, a new generation of southern parents will be asking: Who are we? What do we get? What do Bartlett/Jacksons problems have to do with why you cant service us? I can go on forever with this one. I was part of the early team and we worked hard to bring credibility to the central office administration.The result was parents and teachers were served better, curriculum was developed by the three towns and we forced our voice to be heard at the Conway level.The people felt they had a voice in what was happening in their childs local school and had a representative fighting for their concerns in Conway.I have been told, Hey Tony, you have been gone, and lots have changed. You don't know what is happening. Look at all the things that have happened in recent years; the new high school and the Middle School, this program, that program.I agree things have changed. What will not change is the distance and the geography and I hate to say this the attitude. Will the proposed savings really be seen or worth it?How many of you will travel the distance to Conway to have your voices heard? I would imagine few. That is what SAU 13 is all about ... a voice for the students who live ... down the road.I hope the three towns can continue to prosper together for the future of your children and for the accountability of your taxes. Dont let this recent financial crisis destroy what has become a model in accountability for small towns everywhere. Carry on!Congratulations to the voters of Tamworth and Madison for approving the committees to study SAU 9/SAU 13 consolidation. These are desperate times financially and it makes a lot of sense to evaluate how we do business in our schools and our town government. Tamworth has one of the highest tax rates in New Hampshire, and our school district is the major contributor. SAU 13's expense budget is over half a million dollars. Tamworth's voters showed last week that they are not going to take it anymore, by voting down the school and SAU 13 budgets by wide margins. SAU 9 already has control over Tamworth's 112 Kennett High School students and by most reports is doing a terrific job. On the other hand, the management of SAU 13 has had little involvement with our Kennett students. What happened 19 years ago when SAU 13 was formed may not have much relevance to what is going on today in Mount Washington Valley. Let's give the consolidation studies a chance whatever might be determined as the best approach for the students and the towns. David Farley, TamworthI understand that in the past history of the SAU 9 and SAU 13 saga, that there was great deal of animosity, which seemed to be the driving issue behind the ultimate split. That was then, this is now. We must put those issues behind us and look at what is in the best interest of the students, while looking out for the taxpayer who foots the bill. We as the community of Mount Washington Valleydeserve that a fair and unbiased study be done by both the towns of Tamworth and Madison to see if the re-joining of SAU 9 and SAU 13 can be accomplished. All past negative feelings on both sides need to set aside and we need to look forward not back. John from Madison.SAU consolidation will providemany benefits to the former SAU 13 towns in terms of improved administrative quality and efficiency, oversight participation at the secondary grade level, and curriculum coordination.But it will alsoreducethe entire valley'stax burden. It will do this by directingSAU tax revenues from all of the valley's towns to the new consolidated SAU 9, while adding very little to its overhead costs.A new assistant superintendent and one or two new staff members may need to be added, but the cost for that will be a pittance in comparison to the new revenues flowing to SAU 9 in compliance with the statutory formula from the tax bases of the three southern towns.For those towns, that flow will be far less than they are now paying.The facts and figures will emerge to prove this as the plan is studied and put together for everyone's eventual approval.When the eight towns in Mount Washington Valley came together to build a new high school and renovate the middle school, education was reaffirmed as a valley-wide responsibility.Certainly a study by the three towns in SAU 13 is a worthwhile endeavor. There's the possibility of improved integration of curriculum, more consistent measurement and achievement, a broader perspective of excellence, substantial cost reduction and the elimination of duplication.In these difficult times, these are goals worthy of some effort and analysis.I feel that a merger with SAU 9 and 13 is a very positive thing for the education on our children as well as the pockets of our taxpayers.It will come as no surprise to anyone that I am expressing this feeling, as I have not been shy in my opinion of this for all of the years that I was on the Freedom School Board and the Joint SAU 13 board.I have always felt that therehad been acost in the tuition that we have paid over the years because, lets face it, there has to be administrative costs associated with presence of our children in the Conway schools.I had fought long and hard to get our SAU on the same calendar as SAU 9 so that parents, who did have youngsters in both SAU's, would not need to hire a babysitter or keepthe older child homebecause of the differing early release and teacher workshop days, etc.What about the added cost of starting the schools a weekearlier and having to pay the bus drivers for an additional week. While there have beencomplaints about not having any say about the SAU 9, I had found most of this unfounded as there were many committees that had spots on them for SAU 13 members which were never filled.While Warren Anthony, also from Freedom,and I were on the L.E.I.P.committee, whose intent was trying to synchronizeso that all of the youngsters were on the same page when they arrived at Kennett, he and I were the only ones from SAU 13 who were ever there. Ray O'Brien was there but he wasrepresenting John Fuller where he taught and not Madison. Usinginformation supplied fromSAU9 and 13 for2006, the cost for the 404 students in SAU 13 was $1,230.68 each. While for SAU 9's 2,368 students, it was $475.04 each. Our cost, the three towns,would have beennearly $300,000 less than the $491,000 that it did cost us. Thiswas strictly dividing the number of kids into the money spent for each SAU. This is notusing the state's convoluted formula which does assess towns based on evaluation andaverage daily membership (attendance) and other variables to produce a different cost for each town. But just to give a cost comparison in general terms. Our children will be attending Kennett for the next 17 or 18 years, and probably longer, due to the contract for the new high school and the renovations to the junior high. They are now, for all intent and purposes, in the jurisdiction of SAU 9.I do not believe but a few additional positions would needed in order to absorb us into their SAU. I know that there are those who will say that there were issues back when the split had been made years ago but there had been a lot of us in Conway, as I lived therethen, who were not happy with that administration then either.Fortunately, the house was cleaned and that is ancient history now. I think that this is long overdue and definitely a move in the right direction!One of the sayings that I use to use, which would often upset some people was that, "I do not mind spending money! I just hate wasting it!"ThisSAU is a waste of taxpayer money! Jim Shuff, Freedom.This is Roberta from Madison and I definitely think that Freedom, Madison and Tamworth should rejoin SAU 9. I think it's a duplication of effort and money to have a separate SAU for such a small area.That would be a good idea but I do want your readers to keep in mind that the Tamworth cchool is controlled by a group of secular progressives, who in core beliefs promote the idea that the U.S.A. is the route of all evil in the world and that religion should not be promoted. An example of this is at Christmas time, the word Christmas cannot be used. The Christmas tree is called a holiday tree and if you want to do anything else you are challenging a very powerful group just so the rest of the community knows what the Tamworth school or the Brett School is about.Yeah, this is Hans. I believe this would be very, very disappointing if this occurred. It would be as disappointing along the same level as the disappointment we have seen in Obama.Yes, I strongly believe that Madison should study the withdrawal from SAU 13 and should join SAU 9. Our grade seven to 12 students go to SAU 9 and have found better schooling skills. Our K-6 students have poor writing and math scores and the teachers constantly tell the parents only if we have more money there could be improvements. The size of our classes are small and this didn't improve any student grades. There are 50 employees on the school payroll for 164 students. The school teachers support SAU 13 because they control SAU 13. So nothing will ever change. There will only be more pay raises and poor performance. Fred, Madison.I'm a Madison resident who was here at the time that SAU 13 was formed. There were very legitimate reasons for doing so and I believe those conditions continue today, plus some more: archaic hiring conditions and a series of dropout problems. Fool me once ... and I guess you know the rest of the sentence.This is Bob from Conway. I think it's a good idea, but if it does not pass to go through, I think the school board should think very strongly of consolidating the three grammar schools into two, closing the John Fuller School in North Conway.I think rejoining SAU 9 would be a rebuke of the irresponsible management of SAU 13. What with Tamworth and Freedom being the seventh and fourth most expensive elementary schools in the state: teachers choosing to teach the students they want to teach, thousands being spent to teach the teachers to do things that they've been paid to do for years, like teaching the gifted and talented. Why does the SAU just throw money at a problem instead of holding the teachers accountable?I really don't care and I don't know and it makes no difference to me one way or the other. This is Dave in North Conway.