Kearsarge turns out for school budget

As more than 1,500 voters descended on Kearsage Regional High School the morning of Jan. 4 to defeat a last-minute warrant article threatening to significantly reduce the district’s funding, I was struck by how political and emotional school funding support has become in the sad and struggling state of New Hampshire. Today’s overwhelming vote clearly demonstrates that there is support for better funding methods among much of the electorate, but there remains a determined group of free-staters who seem bent on destroying the school system. They were unsuccessful in Croydon in the past, and now they’ve been roundly, and one hopes, finally defeated at KRHS.

While the warrant article was defeated, with 92% voting against it, there is much more that needs to be done for regions of our state that are not as wealthy as the Kearsarge district. Perhaps this vote can become a bellwether for the state, the Legislature and our newly elected governor. It’s time to give students in every town the public education they need and deserve. There can be no better investment in this our most sacred public good.

Be sure to contact your legislative representative whether Republican or Democrat and tell them that the cost of high-quality public education in New Hampshire is worth every penny it costs.

Neal Harris

New London

Kearsarge vote was
a great start to the year

It was exhilarating: a wonderful display of civic engagement and democracy in action! The place: Kearsarge High School in Sutton, N.H. The event: The Annual School District Meeting Deliberative Session on Jan. 4. The issue: a citizen petition that sought to do a hatchet job on the Kearsarge School District budget.

So many people attended that crowds in the gym spilled over into the auditorium, cafeteria and school library. 92% voted against the petition, refuting the disasters in Croydon and Pembroke, an anti-public school commissioner of Education, and Republican lawmakers who ignore court orders to reform school funding.

The claim that property taxes are too high should shift the focus of attention to the Legislature, 50th in the country in supporting education. They continue to expand vouchers, which drain the coffers of our towns. And they’ve passed numerous unfunded mandates that burden public schools, but do not apply to private and religious schools that receive vouchers.

Another clear message was that people who think there is fat in the budget need to attend School Board and Budget Committee meetings. Among other things, they’ll often find good reasoning or mandates behind budget items.

It was uplifting to hear students and parents affirm the quality of education in the Kearsarge schools. What a way to start 2025.

Allan MacDonald

New London

Electoral College change
is a dead end

Brian Porto is an expert rhetorician (“Two overlooked ramifications of the election, Dec. 7). His talents would’ve been better served explaining Article Five of the U.S. Constitution. Only then can we fully appreciate how unlikely an amendment to the Constitution to abolish the Electoral College would be.

To put it succinctly, Democrats do not have the political capital required. Not to mention it’s a bad strategic goal that would only further alienate small-state voters from the Democratic Party.

In our nations’ short history there have been over 700 attempts to abolish the Electoral College. One could, with high confidence, predict there will be a few more. Don’t hold your breath.

Democrats should focus on winning elections instead of changing the rules. Focus on changing lives instead of procedures. If they had the political capital it would be better spent reintroducing the second Bill of Rights to the public.

Charles Olsen

West Fairlee