To the Editor:
I very much regret being unable to attend this year’s Annual Town Meeting this Saturday in person due to a grandchild’s birthday party in Massachusetts. It will be the first ATM I’ve missed in many years.
I strongly support our Town budget and our Board of Education budget. Both have been wisely and carefully crafted to assure that we move forward through the process of recovery from the pandemic effectively and well as part of a farsighted budgeting program begun last year in the depths of the COVID crisis.
That program moved us forward very well through the worst of the pandemic, and this year’s budget decisions reflect a continuation of that really wise decision-making by our BoE, Board of Selectmen and Board of Finance who are to be commended for their great leadership of us through these very challenging times.
The BoE budget’s increase follows multiple years of very low and even 0% increases. It is crucial to continue to support our educators in what they have done so well for our children throughout the crisis as we continue now into the recovery period.
We owe our educators both our deep gratitude for working creatively, courageously and very effectively through such challenging times and also our full support as they address the heavy educational demands of moving forward in the many dimensions that full recovery for our students from the consequences of the pandemic requires.
I urge us all to be part of a really strong positive vote for these budgets during the Town vote to take place a week from this Saturday.
Sincerely,
Steve Hudspeth