Time For "CHANGE" In Barnstead!
Couch, Fitzpatrick Deserve “The Boot”
It is time for CHANGE in Barnstead. The Barnstead School Board, in their sly attempt to ram a new $18,000, 000 school expansion down the throats of taxpayers with an attitude of “Grin and Bear It, People”, needs to receive a well deserved response from the voters of Barnstead.
Enough is enough! The mortgage crisis is hurting thousands of families and many are our neighbor’s right here in Barnstead. The economy is in a down turn. Now is not the time for grandiose spending.
For too long, vested interests have ruled the school board and its members. Although we should thank those who sacrifice their time to serve our town, we should demand that elected representatives recuse themselves in the face of vested interest. Not just recuse themselves on some issues but recuse themselves on all issues including those that call for support of a new school.
Next Tuesday, Barnstead residents have the opportunity to steer the town back on a course of fiscal responsibility. The most important election is that for school board with a special eye towards the rejection of candidates running for selectmen with an agenda of expansion of municipal services.
Present School Board members, Keith Couch and Maureen Fitzpatrick are up for re-election and we need to send them a message that their fiscal irresponsibility is not appreciated and does not represent the best interest of the citizens and taxpayers of Barnstead.
In a time of economic uncertainty, a majority of the Barnstead School Board, including Couch and Fitzpatrick overrode the budget committee’s rejection of the proposed school renovation. In their next regular session, these two candidates up for re-election, decided that in their judgment that they should attempt to ram through an $18,000,000 ($18 Million Dollar) ill conceived school expansion.
In an interview in a local newspaper yesterday, Couch stated: “I feel I have had a positive impact on the board through my extensive committee work, and in particular, my working with administration to moderate budget growth. If re-elected, I feel that I will be able to continue this positive trend.”
Moderating budget growth? Supporting a dreamscape project like the proposed school expansion project is not moderating budget growth, Keith!
Fitzpatrick was quoted in the same local paper as saying: “I have been on the Space Needs Committee for the past five years. We have worked hard to bring forth to the town our plan to expand our existing school, and will continue to work on the plan.” So a vote for Fitzpatrick will mean more of the same blind ambition to expand a school that needs a little TLC, maintenance and common sense expansion.
The ramifications of this proposal are far greater than the Per Household Tax Impact analysis provided by proponents of the school expansion. There are several things to consider that we have not been informed about:
· The school board is asking for a substantial budget increase this year and the impact of that will raise taxes substantially.
· Teachers are up for an 8% increase in wages this year that will increase property taxes.
· The municipal building will increase property taxes as well if passed.
· The cost of operating the new school has not been revealed but estimates are that starting in 2010 the school budget will need to be increased by over $4, 000, 000 (4 Million Dollars) to operate the new school.
· Parts of the school will be torn down, a new gym will be added, there will be a round the school road and 120 new parking spaces. Additionally, rooms will be added for expanded curriculum as well as a teachers lounge, etc. But, the project is being sold as a ‘space needs’ project, not a feel good expansion project.
· Barnstead school enrollment is the same as it was in 2000. The NH OEP projects that in 2015 children of the age group that will attend our school will be at the same level statewide as in 2000 and in the years in between will not grow. (taken from the NH OEP website study: NH Population Projections for State and Counties, Updated November 2006)
All of this will take the effective tax rate from $18.40 per thousand valuation of YOUR HOMES to nearly $30.00 per thousand.
EXAMPLE: In 2010 if the $18,000,000 ($18 Million Dollar) school expansion warrant passes and the municipal building warrant passes along with increased operating cost of the new school of approximately $4,000,000 ($4 Million Dollars) annually…this is the impact it will have on the taxes:
Home Valuation: $200,000
2007 (Present) Property Taxes: $3680
2010 Projected Property Taxes: $5818
Increase in Taxes in Two Years: $2138; It may be much worse....but it will be at least that much of a dramatic jump!
Your taxes will increase by $2138 if your house is valued at $200,000 and in subsequent years will increase as expenses and never ending needs of the school and town increase expenditures. If your home is valued higher then that figure will be larger than that.
Below is a chart that projects what will actually happen to your property taxes. The tax impact of the operating budget of the expanded school is a conservative estimate of $4,100,000 annually and added into the chart is the cost of the new municipal building ($3,300,000) and proposed school ($18, 000,000). These estimates are believed to understate the impact meaning that YOUR property taxes will be higher.
BELOW IS A CONSERVATIVE BUT REALISTIC LOOK AT THE IMPACT OF THE
$18 MILLION DOLLAR SCHOOL EXPANSION PROPOSAL:
|
|
CURRENT |
TAXES |
TAXES |
TAXES |
TAXES |
TAXES |
TAXES |
TAXES |
|
VALUE OF YOUR HOME |
TAXES |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
|
$150,000 |
$2,760 |
$2,997 |
$3,156 |
$4,364 |
$4,443 |
$4,338 |
$4,388 |
$4,374 |
|
$200,000 |
$3,680 |
$3,996 |
$4,208 |
$5,818 |
$5,790 |
$5,784 |
$5,850 |
$5,832 |
|
$225,000 |
$4,140 |
$4,496 |
$4,734 |
$6,545 |
$6,514 |
$6,507 |
$6,581 |
$6,561 |
|
$250,000 |
$4,600 |
$4,995 |
$5,260 |
$7,273 |
$7,238 |
$7,230 |
$7,313 |
$7,290 |
|
$275,000 |
$5,060 |
$5,495 |
$5,786 |
$8,000 |
$7,961 |
$7,953 |
$8,044 |
$8,019 |
|
$300,000 |
$5,520 |
$5,994 |
$6,312 |
$8,727 |
$8,685 |
$8,676 |
$8,775 |
$8,748 |
For calculations and more information on this table, please send your request to:
If Barnstead taxpayers are struggling now and if you want to effectively manage the fiscal affairs of Barnstead School please vote Francis Conte for Barnstead School Board. Frank understands that we need a great quality education and should ensure that for every student but also knows that it must be done without breaking the bank.
Tell the Barnstead School Board that they will no longer be allowed to pick the pockets of Barnstead taxpayers.
Tell them that agendas, conflicts of interest and nepotism will not be tolerated.
Tell them that $30.00 per thousand tax on the valuation of your home is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
It is time for Keith Couch and Maureen Fitzpatrick to be sent packing.
Local Issue
Welcome back birdflewover...but this is a local issue balanced on the backs of 1400 homeowners...nothing to do with oil or Haliburton or Exxon.
There is no agenda here against children but if a family can not afford to provide for their children, put a roof over their heads and feed them......then the school can wait.
Good Schools raise property values
18 million may be too much but maybe not, I don't know... for any construction project, schools included, corruption is rampant and newspaper reporters should do their job and make sure that no board member is getting anything under the table, if it can be proven there is no corruption anywhere and the construction costs are fair then in general building schools is a win win proposition all the time, one does not build a school for the fun of it one builds a school because we need it. Schools are investments in the future the ROI is always positive never negative, if corruption is not present there is no financial risk in building a school. Taxes are for building schools and fire depts and stuff they are good use of tax money. Not all taxes are bad...taxes for war are bad, taxing the poor is bad, giving our tax money to oil companies and Republican politicians is stupid and bad, etc...but taxes for schools and the like are never wasted!!!!
Totally Wrong
This project is not needed and here is why.
The school was large enough in 2000 and enrollment was exactly the same.
Building a school to soothe egos is not positive nor necessary. I am all for improving this school but they are building this school and will have many rooms not used until the population necessitates. Do you buy a minivan because you might have a family someday? Do you buy an extra large home because someday you might have children? Do you buy extra groceries because MAYBE someone will come over and you MIGHT ask them to stay for dinner.
The other issue is that the teachers contract calls for a 5% raise in year one, 4% raise for the next three years, a sick time buy back clause, better health plan than any citizen in town and they can take 5 sick days off without having to prove that they were sick. Spend, spend, spend.
Once again bird, this has nothing to do with federal taxes; it is about taxing 1400 families and making their home life unstable.
B
We are spending over 15 Billion in our tax money per month to occupy Iraq and steal their oil, we will have to spend another 15 Billion per month in after war costs according to nobel prize winning economists, our dollar is sinking like a stone against other curriencies because of the occupation in Iraq, all of these costs will have to be paid by taxes. Investing 18 million of our tax dollars in our children is peanuts next to the trillions of our tax dollars we are wasting trying to protect Exxon and Chevron in Iraq. I say nationalize the oil companies and put their profits to work building our schools rather than buying private jets and villas in Dubai and Toscane for top oil execs. First things first, before we start cutting costs on things like investing in our children we need to cut costs on protecting our oil corporations overseas from the locals, protecting them with fascist private contractors like Blackwater and Halliburton that suck up our tax dollars like there was no tomorrow. Bill stop worrying about our taxes going to our children and start worrying about our tax dollars going to Blackwater, Halliburton and Exxon....Priorities People!