Below is a message from Marti Carlson, Chairwoman of the Guilford Democratic Town Committee:

Dear Friend,

The referendum for schematic design plans for the future Guilford High School will be held on June 16th from 7 AM until 8 PM. All 5 polling locations will be used.

Please note that for grades other than at the high school, the last day of school is June 15th (the high school is June 17th). If you plan on being out of town on the 16th, please vote using an absentee ballot (they should be available on or after June 9th). Please call the Town Clerk for more details at 203-453-8001.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Referendum

GuilfordPACT will be holding a general meeting open to the public on Monday, May 24th at 7:30 PM at the Guilford Safety Complex (a.k.a. Fire Station).

Click here to view a Google map of the location

We will be conveying our strategy for getting out the YES vote (the "big picture"). Please plan on attending, and bring a like-minded friend.

See you there!

Hello Guilford PACT members and supporters,

Due to a technical issue, we are resending this updated e-mail with an added attachment.

Last Monday night, the Guilford Board of Finance held its regular meeting at the Community Center. Typically, BOF meetings are pretty dry, and that was certainly the case prior to item 6 on the agenda: the schematic design referendum. We were pleased to hear each member provide reasoned, bipartisan, and enthusiastic support for a resolution sending to the voters a referendum for schematic designs for Guilford High School as a necessary next step in acquiring the information we need to make an informed financial decision.

The following is an excerpt from a Money magazine article on page 52 of the May 2010 issue:

"Why it Pays to Seek Out Great Schools"

"Even if you don't have school age kids, it can still be worth shelling out bigger bucks and paying higher taxes for a home in an area with good public schools. Those houses tend to appreciate more in up markets and sell faster and for higher prices in down markets, says David Figlio, a Northwestern University professor who has studied the relationship between home prices and schools."

Dear Members and Supporters,

By now you've probably heard that the budget and both bonding questions have passed. Although the volume was lower in the morning, the voting picked up steam in the afternoon as people stopped by on their way home from work. Thanks so much for getting to the polls! Well done!

We'd also like to thank the many volunteers who helped with phone banking, leafleting, data entry and analysis and countless other tasks. Your dedication to your community and to public education is both inspiring and motivating.

Below are the unofficial results for your information.

We are posting this e-mail from the PTA for our membership, FYI:

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Cuts Already Made to Guilford Public Schools' Budget
Budget Referendum on Tuesday 4/20

Each YES Vote is Critical

Dear Supporters of Education,

The Guilford Public Schools and Town budgets will be voted on during a referendum on Tuesday, April 20th. The total proposed budget increase is 3.94%, of which 2.8% is for the schools, 3.23% is for the town and the remaining increase covers revenue shortfalls (i.e. declines in permit fees, conveyance taxes and interest income, etc.). Regardless, the BOE and Town budgets are always combined on the referendum so you will be asked to vote on the total increase of 3.94%.

Only 47 eligible voters showed up at the town meeting. The budget and the 2 bonding items were approved to go to referendum on April 20th. Absentee ballots will be available at Town Hall starting at 8:30 AM Wednesday (4/7/2010) morning.

Annual Budget Meeting

The Annual Budget Meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 6th at 7:30 PM in the Community Center. In addition to the budget, there are 2 bonding issues, one for an air quality study for Baldwin, and the other for a new roof at Lakes school. We recommend a yes vote on all three items.

Please note that there is provision in the town charter which allows for 250 taxpayers to send the referendum back to the Board of Finance for further cuts prior to the April 20th referendum. We feel that the possibility of this happening is remote, but given the stakes, we would encourage a large and vocal turnout for the meeting Tuesday night.