Over the past two weeks, we received several missives about our school flyer. There was an approximately equal balance between people thanking us for our efforts and people criticizing us. Below is one of the best letters we received, so we decided to publish it in full here on the site.

Thank you for your efforts to inform us taxpayers about the Mascoma Valley Educators insane efforts to squeeze more money out of the community while facing lower enrollments each year and lower student performance. I see 7–8 school buses driving by every day with less then fifteen children on them in most cases. I find it hard to believe that there are so many kids continually sick or on vacation.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Enfield, New Hampshire – March 14, 2012 – The Mascoma Valley Taxpayer Union welcomed the news Tuesday night that the $24M school bond had been rejected by voters. A three-fifths majority of voters was required to pass the bond, but only 56% had voted in favor.

According to the New Hampshire Dept of Education, in the 2010–11 school year New Hampshire spent $15,585 per pupil, more than enough to send every child to private school. This year it will cost even more.

Recently you received a newsletter from the Mascoma Valley Regional School Board about a planned expansion and renovation of the Mascoma Valley Regional High School. In this mailing, the School Board touted the virtues and apparent necessity of this project, and did their best to downplay the cost to taxpayers. But don’t be fooled!

This project will cost $24 MILLION over TWENTY YEARS…

Why will this cost SIX TIMES what a local private school paid for a project of similar size?

And why are we doing this when the school district is LOSING STUDENTS year after year?