At its meeting on Thursday, Feb. 1, the municipal budget committee voted to cut almost $760,000 from the proposed 2018/2019 school budget. This is in addition to the budget reduction of approximately $1.4 million proposed by the Pembroke School Board. The proposal by the budget committee will result in reducing personnel and services to the Pembroke elementary schools, the middle school and Pembroke Academy to the point that the excellent education offered by the Pembroke School District could be severely jeopardized.
As a member of the school board and an alternate to the budget committee, I vehemently oppose the action of the budget committee. The general public will have a chance to get more information and comment on the budget and the impact of the cuts at a public hearing on Thursday, Feb. 8, at 7 p.m. I encourage every Pembroke resident interested in the quality of education to attend. Also, as a reminder, the school meeting to vote on the final school budget is scheduled for Saturday, March 10, at 10 a.m.
DAVID B. DOHERTY
Pembroke