Guilford Parents and Citizens Together

Guilford Parents And Citizens Together (Guilford PACT) is a non-partisan citizens' group focused on increasing participation of Guilford voters in the political process for issues affecting education. Our mission is “to advocate for education by increasing community and political involvement in Guilford.” We are a registered Political Action Committee (PAC), which means that we are able to solicit & spend funds in order to raise awareness and advocate for issues that are consistent with our mission.

Our main focus has been to support a referendum that will ensure that a new Guilford High School will be constructed as a replacement for the existing facility. We agree with the Board of Education (BOE) and the Community Task Force on School Facilities that a new Guilford High School is the best alternative among those considered. We also support the strongest possible facilities solution for Adams and we will continue to advocate for the best long-term solution.

In addition to our concerns about school facilities, we became involved in the 2009-2010 Town & Education Budget referendum and helped advocate for its passage via a vigorous grassroots get out the vote effort. We have been involved in a few other education-related issues (e.g. lead-coated copper gutters at Cox) throughout the last year, helping to raise awareness and getting citizens involved in the process.

The two main driving forces behind our organization right now are advocating for the successful passage of a public referendum for a new Guilford High School, and preparing for the 2010 Town & Education budget referendum to ensure that the education budget will enhance the educational experience of Guilford students. Since we are a PAC, we can provide tangible support for candidates who share these views. We will keep our members informed regarding candidates' positions on these two main issues in order to assist in making an informed decision when voting on November 3. We will inform our members if a candidate supports, opposes, or has not reached a final decision regarding these two issues.

In the Democratic Primary, we hosted a discussion between the two candidates and, based on the content of that discussion, newspaper articles, and statements made by the candidates in various forums, wrote an e-mail to our members with the public views of both candidates regarding their position for a new Guilford High School.

Political Action Committees typically endorse candidates who support the mission of the organization. We are currently putting together a questionnaire that will provide a candidate with the opportunity to detail his or her views on new construction for Guilford High School and education budgets. If GuilfordPACT chooses to put its endorsement behind a candidate or candidates for the upcoming election, it will be due to that candidate’s or candidates' position regarding a new Guilford High School and his/her/their philosophy regarding education budgets. Since it requires the BOS and the BOF to bring a BOE recommendation to referendum, the outcome of the election is critical. By simply not taking action, the BOS can effectively stop any further progress toward a new school.

We are action-oriented and, while not every member will agree with every decision, our views represent the general consensus of our members. We are moving forward on these issues because our members are committed to improving the education of Guilford's students and providing facilities that will protect and enhance the students' learning environment, thus helping to ensure that our students thrive today and well into the future.