Hopkinton voters twice have rejected proposed school budgets. Is it because of tax impact, or is there something beyond that?
There is. It is increasing anger for reasons that have mounted over the years. Here are a few of those reasons that led to “us vs. them” positions:
■Lack of communication by and from school boards and administration over the past 20 or so years. Boards have resisted offering general information forums for general discussion and opportunity for questions and answers.
■Annual school district meetings that have become mind-numbing four- to five-hour marathons.
■Insults and dismissive, derisive comments at those meetings directed at those who question the need for significant budget increases and thus tax increases. A prime example: The person who exclaimed that all people need do to pay the increase was to “forgo a $47 bottle of wine” when out to dinner.
■School board adding football to the sports program even though funding it was defeated at annual meeting. Board’s reasoning? Voters had turned down funding, not whether or not to add football. Why did the board think funding had been turned down?
■Two years ago, the final $553,500 bond payment from the previous year was carried forward in the proposed budget for the next year. New money requested was some $600,000. Thus, the actual budget increase for 2018-19 was $1.1 million. This bloat continues forward.
COVID-19 unwittingly gave voice to the disaffected “us” by drive-thru voting. “Us” can vote without fear of feeling denigrated and having their views dismissed.
ARNOLD C. CODA
Hopkinton