Thanks!

Thank you for voting, and to all those who helped get out the vote!

• What we have accomplished as a community: We have so far avoided layoffs, program cuts, and class size increases for Guilford public school students despite the worst economy in a generation.

• The beneficiaries of education: the next generation.

• The heroes: all employees, with a particular emphasis on teachers as they represent the largest bargaining unit and the first local branch of the CEA to offer wage concessions, totaling over $600K in concessions that will preserve jobs. Thank you! The budget could not have passed without your help.

• What’s next: No one is happy about a 4.4% tax increase for Guilford property owners; we should work to reduce this while maintaining town services, education, and the elderly tax freeze.

• What we need to do: Pursue policies and practices that allow us to maintain quality of town and education services while minimizing cost: regionalization will be essential in certain areas.

• The elephant in the room: Guilford has consistently underinvested in infrastructure for the schools, ranking nearly last among comparable communities. The current infrastructure represents a drain on our budget due to maintenance (29 roofs on the existing high school) and operating budgets (poorly insulated buildings). This problem needs to be addressed, and will not go away.

Thanks!
Chris Moore