Dresden School District budget by the numbers

Residents of Hanover and Norwich come together March 7 to vote on our Dresden School District budget and related warrant articles. The Hanover Finance Committee voted unanimously to support the Dresden budget proposal, which increases baseline spending by 4.5%. Further, HFC unanimously supports the new union contract with custodial and maintenance service staff (Article 3).

The Dresden district does not tax directly; rather, its assessments are folded into the Hanover and Norwich school district tax rates. Comparisons to prior years are complicated by swings in revenue, and by changes to sending district enrollments — which determine each town’s pro rata share.

After factoring in higher tuition revenues, the tax burden increase is reduced to 3.7%. This increase falls much more heavily on Hanover taxpayers as Hanover’s share of district enrollment is rising by 1.8% to nearly 70% of the total, requiring an overall increase of 6.6% in its Dresden assessment, or $1.2 million. Conversely, Norwich’s share of district enrollment is falling, resulting in a decrease of 2.2% in its Dresden assessment or $190,000.

Please vote: 1) via absentee ballot; or 2) March 7, 7 a.m.-7 p.m. for Hanover voters at the high school and for Norwich voters at Tracy Hall. Details of the warrant articles and budget can be found in the brochures sent to Hanover and Norwich residents, or at www.sau70.org. Also online are links to live and post-view presentation and discussion of the Dresden warrant articles and budget, which will also be held in person at Hanover High School on Thursday, March 2, at 7 p,m.

Carey Callaghan

vice chair, Hanover Finance Committee

Community power is good news

Congratulations to Valley News reporter Frances Mize, who explained Jan. 14 (“4 Upper Valley communities poised for power-pooling plan”) that four Upper Valley communities — Enfield, Hanover, Lebanon and Plainfield — will soon have a chance to get cheaper, and/or cleaner electricity from Community Power Coalition of New Hampshire.

It’s about time. I have rooftop solar panels that supply my power needs for about seven months of the year. When I recently had to pay my first significant Liberty utility bill in months it was a shocker, largely due to natural gas prices. I look forward to buying power from this coalition of local governments. It expects to provide power for less than the utility. It aims to invest in service improvements like time-of-day rates. And it will let me get more power from renewable sources and less from natural gas turbines.

That’s going to be popular. Most of us care about the planet and want to reduce our carbon footprint. Solar panels remain a great way to do that, long-term. Some of my friends and neighbors have found solar panels too expensive, awkward or unsuitable for their house, condo or yard. With community power, they will be able to boost their renewable energy share simply by choosing that on their electric account. That way they won’t bear the up-front cost of the panels, and they can always back off if clean power rates exceed their budget.

I’m not going to go for a tempting five-month rate reduction offered by one broker. This appears to be a loss-leader that will lead to a hefty increase once the introductory period passes. Community power offers better rate stability and local control. We should learn soon what community power rates will be. Please stay tuned, Valley News.

Rob Taylor

Hanover

Vote yes on library funding in Hartford

I want to encourage all Hartford residents to vote yes on Article 21 of the Town Meeting ballot. Article 21 concerns funding for the three libraries that serve our town: Hartford, Quechee and Wilder libraries. This request has unfortunately been placed at the end of a long list of funding requests, so please don’t stop reading the ballot until you reach it.

Libraries are crucial to our well-being, providing many programs and services in addition to their traditional role. Throughout the recent pandemic, our local libraries went above and beyond to render services to those who could not leave their homes, and to provide a safe gathering space for those who could. Please show them your support.

Marsha Autilio

Quechee

Support Hartford’s village libraries

The Hartford Selectboard has demonstrated a frustrating lack of respect for the will of Hartford’s voters. Despite an overwhelmingly negative vote three years ago against the installation of parking meters in the downtown area, they were slipped into this year’s proposed budget. Why place questions on the ballot if the resulting vote is to be subsequently ignored? That isn’t the way a representative democracy is supposed to operate. Meanwhile, support for the town’s three village libraries was nudged out of the budget and relegated as a separate ballot issue (Article 21).

A yes vote on Article 21 will ensure that the primary source of funding for our libraries continues. Without that financial support, our libraries would be shuttered. The town is fortunate to have librarians who hold professional degrees in library science and are always happy to go the extra mile to assist their patrons. In addition to their ability to secure books on a multitude of topics through Vermont’s interlibrary loan system, they offer a variety of magazines, newspapers, items designed for the visually handicapped, specialized programs for children of all ages throughout the year, lectures on a wide variety of topics, invaluable resources for parents who home-school, computer access for individuals who otherwise would not be able to explore the information available on the internet, low-cost photocopying service, copies of literature generated by the state and our community on a variety of topics, and the list goes on. During a recent visit to the Hartford Library, I saw a basket of hand-knit winter hats, offered free to anyone in need. The libraries represent the souls of our villages.

Please join me in voting yes on Article 21 to ensure the continuation of public funding for the nonprofit Hartford, Quechee and Wilder libraries. Tell members of Hartford’s Selectboard that library funding belongs in the general budget!

Mary Nadeau

Hartford

Claremont school grade shuffle lacks planning, communication

The current Claremont School Board has been presented a proposal, by the superintendent of schools, to reconfigure several grades within the school system. The plan is to move the preschool students out of the Sugar River Valley Regional Technical Center to their neighborhood schools, relocate the fifth graders to Claremont Middle School and relocate eighth graders to Stevens High School.

The preschool cannot remain at the SRVRTC. It is my understanding that the New Hampshire Department of Education requires the move since the Early Childhood Program/Certified Teacher Education program originally at the tech center was cut by the School Board.

This move for preschoolers is in the best interests of these young children.

The same cannot be said for the transitions of grade 5 and grade 8.

From questions and concerns presented before the School Board at recent meetings, it appears that families have not been included in any strategies to solve the lack of space at the elementary level. Parents and community members who were part of a reorganization committee voiced frustration over the lack of communication and follow-through with them over the past years.

One of the FAQs presented at the deliberative session indicated that there were schools in New England and New Hampshire with a high school grade 8-12 configuration. If so, which schools are they and have site visits been made by the administration and committee members?

As a retired middle and elementary school teacher and principal, I believe that with better communication and planning, we would not find ourselves in this situation.

Arlene Hawkins

candidate for Claremont School Board

Wells has background for Canaan Selectboard

After many years of service, Scott Borthwick is retiring from the Canaan Selectboard this year. But on March 14, we can fill that vacancy with a trusted leader who has an equally long record of community service, Sadie Wells.

With more than two decades in executive leadership at a local bank, Sadie’s strong financial background has served us well in 10 years on the town budget committee, along with working on the Capital Improvement Committee, and as a trustee of the town’s trust funds. She’s also volunteered on the Meeting House Preservation Committee, Friends of Mascoma Foundation and the Upper Valley Public Health Council.

I’ve seen firsthand how committed to service Sadie is, having worked with her on town issues, as well as relying on her counsel for my personal and business banking.

As a working mom, and with all her experience in finance and her proven commitment to Canaan, Sadie Wells brings the perfect background and adds a new perspective to the Canaan Selectboard.

On Tuesday, March 14, the polls at the Canaan Fire Station will be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. I hope every eligible Canaan resident will turn out to have a say in our future, and I hope you’ll join me in supporting Sadie Wells for Canaan Selectboard.

Thomas P. Oppel

Canaan

Wells a standout choice to join the Selectboard

After more than a decade of service, Scott Borthwick is retiring as a Canaan Selectboard member, leaving an important vacancy to fill on Tuesday, March 14.

Sadie Wells’ experience, communication skills and record of community service make her a standout choice to join the Selectboard. Twenty-five years in the banking world and 10 years on Canaan’s Budget Committee provide a strong financial background to help in the creation and management of a town budget with taxpayers in mind.

Sadie is a respected leader who has been working on Canaan’s behalf for years. Please join me in voting for Sadie Wells on March 14.

Cynthia Neily

Canaan

Wells deserves a seat on the board

On Tuesday, March 14, my fellow residents of Canaan and I will vote to fill a seat on the town Selectboard. My vote will go to Sadie Wells. Here’s why: Sadie is a working mother in a local bank who has served our community over many years in several volunteer roles: trustee of the trust funds, the town Budget Committee, the Capital Improvement Committee, Friends of Mascoma Foundation, The Meeting House Preservation Committee and the Upper Valley Public Health Council. She has the knowledge and skills to manage the town budget with the needs of our taxpayers in mind. Sadie is eminently qualified to become a member of the Canaan Selectboard. Please vote for Sadie Wells on Tuesday, March 14, at the Canaan fire station.

Richard K. Fox

Canaan

Rumors are destructive

I’ve heard a rumor going around Croydon that there is an ulterior motive of the Stand Up for Croydon Students group to build a new school. It is not true. The focus of the group is simply dedicated to public education. As far as I know there has never been such a proposal.

The group was formed last year after the annual School Meeting when the budget was cut so drastically that Croydon’s part of each student’s tuition would not have covered the cost of attending public schools in our area. I was appalled at the thought of young families having to pay thousands of dollars for what should have been their right — a tax-based public education.

Our main focus is still to ensure public education. No hidden agenda.

Jill Janas

Croydon
We Stand Up for Croydon Students

Biden praise ignores pipeline blasts, conspiracy

I could not help but note that in Paul Etkind’s letter (“Biden managing Ukraine well,” Feb. 22) enumerating the Biden administration’s signal achievements in engineering the Ukrainian train wreck, he left out its flagrantly unconstitutional act of war in authorizing a covert operation to attack the Nord Stream pipelines and gleefully leave this civilian infrastructure a twisted hunk of metal at the bottom of the Baltic Sea. To this lawless feat, Mr. Etkind might add the dismaying ability of the Biden team to enforce an almost total conspiracy of silence around its highly probable guilt ultimately resulting in the national embarrassment of most of our major media refusing to address the recent bombshell revelations on this incident by the intrepid Seymour Hersh.

This symptomatic turn of events immediately brings to mind that chilling ending to the 1975 no longer quite so paranoid thriller Three Days of the Condor where a CIA whistleblower code-named Condor informs his superior that he just gave all the incriminating information on a rogue agency operation to the New York Times and the boss knowingly replies what makes you think they will print it? If a journalist of the stature of Sy Hersh can be frozen out of the current national non-debate on yet another disastrous imperial adventure by some collaborative commitment to a blind monolithic unanimity, the ideal of an informed citizenry will soon be rendered extinct by the unassailable militarism now quickly becoming our lockstep civic religion. In this bellicose church, the doctrinal controversies will always remain confined to denouncing diplomacy as ungodly appeasement and rushing to a prompt decision on the timetable for surging ever more troops and increasingly destructive weapons into a futile fray.

Patrick Flaherty

Hanover

Enough chicken

I’m writing in response to the Valley News snippet on the front page of the Feb. 22 edition that suggests we “eat more chicken,” directing us to the back page committed to recipes on how to cook chicken in a variety of ways. According to USDA reporting, in the U.S. alone, more than 9 billion chickens are killed each year so they can be eaten. This equates to killing about 1 million chickens an hour for human consumption.

Considering the adverse environmental impact of this industry combined with the negative health implications of consuming chicken products and the chicken’s lived experience from birth to our plate, one could suggest that humans are a doomed species. A quick visit to https://animalclock.org will highlight the massive scale of our consumption annually of all animals, none of which are required to sustain our life or health.

In the eight minutes it took me to write this note and find the USDA link, approximately 135,000 chickens were killed in this country for us to eat. I respectfully submit that we most definitely do not need to eat more chicken.

Brendan Hickey

Lebanon

Support NH bill to promote EV charging

Apparently, I’m not the only one planning on taking advantage of generous tax incentives and rebates to purchase an electric vehicle soon. The ISO-New England forecast is that more than 1.5 million EVs will be traveling the roads throughout New England by 2030. That’s an increase of 19 times above what we have now!

To accommodate this dramatic EV trend, the states surrounding New Hampshire, as well as Quebec, are investing in substantial numbers of public charging stations. But sadly, New Hampshire is way behind in this effort and is becoming known as a “charging desert” with fewer than half the available charging ports as Maine and Vermont. Imagine how New Hampshire’s destination tourism economy will suffer if this situation continues!

The good news is that the Senate Transportation Committee is working on a bill to address this problem. SB 52 will allow the utilities to invest in the electricity distribution infrastructure (poles, wires, transformers) that will enable private customers to pay for only the EV charging equipment installation. The beauty of this balanced approach is that electricity sales will likely offset installation costs so that distribution rates should not increase. According to Clean Energy NH, revenues are projected to exceed costs 2 to 1, which means that these investments could have some potential to drive rates down.

This bill is backed by a broad spectrum of stakeholders including the utilities, the tourism industry, auto dealers and clean energy advocates. It has good bipartisan support in both chambers. But to ensure that it moves forward, we voters need to weigh in before the March 9 deadline. Please contact members of the Senate Transportation Committee, especially if you are a constituent, and urge them to support SB 52. It’s time for New Hampshire to invest in a future tourism economy that will attract electrically powered visitors.

Judith Saum

Rumney, N.H.

5 reasons to keep traditional libraries at VSU

I am writing to register my strong criticism against the planned elimination of books in the libraries of the newly created Vermont State University. I am the parent of a Castleton University student and I believe that this plan is shortsighted for five reasons.

First, this plan eliminates a key learning tool. While it is true books are no longer the only learning tool that students use, physical books provide ways of learning and processing information that are not replicated in all-digital formats. Books provide a way of immersing oneself in deep knowledge.

Second, eliminating books actually narrows the range of information available. Digital resources are sold in packages which do not always contain the more eclectic titles. It should also be noted as well that physical books are a semi-permanent resource that last 50 or even 100 years. Digital packages are more fleeting. License agreements change. Computer systems no longer interface. Consolidation of media conglomerates changes availability of digital resources.

Third, eliminating all books makes a false assumption about the digital accessibility and resources for students. Students (especially from more rural areas) attending any Vermont university do not all have superior access to computers and broadband.

Fourth, books provide a key part of the learning environment. Libraries are centers of knowledge production and part of the academic landscape. Being able to go to a quiet space surrounded by stacks of books can inspire students and help increase student learning outcomes.

Fifth, eliminating books will seriously damage student recruitment and alumni engagement. Is any future student going to be excited to go to a Vermont university, or is a past alumni more likely donate to one that eliminates all of its books?

For these five reasons I would beg administrators to please reconsider this rash decision.

Matthew Hendley

Oneonta, N.Y.

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