Answers - Alan Meyers - Candidate for Board of Education

Q1: Do you support the construction of a new high school as approved by the Board of Education in 2008? If yes, please describe what you would do in your role on the [B.O.E., B.O.S., B.O.F.] to support the passage of the referendum. If no, please describe what modifications need to be made to the current proposal in order for you to support it.

A1: I am in support of the construction of a new Guilford High School. The Task Force on School Facilities evaluated all the school buildings in a thorough and comprehensive fashion, and presented the Board of Education with three options for both GHS and Adams Middle School. They consisted of a “light renovation”; renovate as new; and replace. I studied all the recommendations, and attended all the presentations to the community. My conclusion was that it seemed financially prudent to replace GHS with a new three story building, probably on the same lot. I did attach some caveats in that I felt that we should keep the “science wing”, the football field, and make the new building as “green” as possible with the use of alternative energy sources.

In October 2008, I joined 7 out of eight of my fellow Board of Education members and voted for that option. However, I was not pleased with the projected cost calculations, and asked for a second opinion as to cost. That resulted in a wide variance, and I now support the proposal to obtain schematic drawings, which will enable us to have more accurate cost projections. That proposal should go to the voters early in 2010, and if approved we can have a final referendum in the spring of 2010.

In addition to Guilford High School, I offered the motion to the BOE to address the health and safety issues at Adams Middle School, and this was unamously passed, by the Board. The voters also approved this by a wide margin. An Adams planning committee is also addressing long term issues, and I await their recommendations.

If reelected, I pledge to move these proposals forward as timely as possible.

Q2: What will you do in your role on the [B.O.E., B.O.S., B.O.F.] to ensure drafting of a town & education budget which meets the needs of the town and schools of Guilford AND is likely to be approved by the voters in a referendum?

A2: I currently serve as the Chair of the Finance sub-committee of the Board of Education. Budget preparation is a lengthy process, involving input from all stake holders, and the community at large. We are committed to a process involving zero based projections, which consists of needs and not wishes. The Superintendent then filters all the requests, and the Board adjusts the final budget. Over 80 % of the costs are fixed, e.g. salaries, fuel, heat, energy, and the like. Members of the Board of Finance are included in the preparation of the budget, and this last point is important to insure passage of the budget.

At all times the needs of students are paramount and I feel it is most important to continue to emphasize class size, teacher professionalism and development, and the recent initiatives in technology and world language. During these troubled economic times, I would favor no new initiatives, but feel this is a time for consolidation. I also favor examination of the revenues that the schools collect such as tuition, student athletic fees and the like in order to see whether revenue can be enhanced. A large percentage of out budget goes toward health insurance, and I will work with our State officials to have Guilford become a part of the state health plan. This alone could save about $300,000, without a decrease in coverage for our employees.

Q3: As things currently stand, the town and education budgets are growing at a rate which exceeds the growth of the grand list. In your role on the [B.O.E., B.O.S., B.O.F.], what steps will you take to address this growing gap between budget expenditures and tax revenues?

A3: The Board of Education has no control over tax revenues, but we account for the majority of expenditures. I am very aware of the need to control costs, and this becomes an ongoing concern of mine, as Chair of the Finance committee. I have addressed some of these concerns in the prior questions.