We all should be very proud of what Upton has accomplished in the last six years. We overcame a national and regional economic recession that negatively impacted local government operations. With the support of the voters your local government increased service capacity and improved service delivery to the community. The regional school district has reduced the student/teacher ratio in the classrooms, educational programs have been restored, and the number of students choosing to leave the district has declined.
These actions did not happen by happenstance. These actions were the result of strategic, tactical, and collaborative planning by your local public officials and the support of the voters. Nothing happens or changes without the support of the voters. Everyone that participates has their voice heard and counted which in turn affects the direction of government action.
The health of the community is connected to the successful operations and capacity of our local government which includes our public education system. A yes vote on the over-ride will provide an opportunity to continue the success of local government and drive our regional school districts trend of continuous improvement.
The Board of Selectmen are providing Upton voters through an over-ride vote, control of Town government’s service delivery and the level of educational service provided to our children. It is time for Upton to stand up and take control of how we want our children educated. A yes vote on the over-ride puts Upton in the driver’s seat of the school bus.
The Upton Board of Selectmen has publicly pledged to their constituents. (1) All unused funding derived from the over-ride will be removed from your taxes via an under-ride. (2) There will be only one over-ride vote, no means no.
I am like everyone else. I want to keep more of my money in my own pocket. But let’s put the over-ride cost into perspective. The average home in Upton is evaluated at $366,000. If the entire $1.392 million over-ride is utilized on the school budget, this would add approximately $515 to that annual tax bill. Depending on where you purchase your cup of coffee, this could mean sacrificing one cup of coffee a day. If the school district only utilizes $500,000 of the over-ride our out-of-pocket cost is less than 50 cents a day.
Ultimately the decision to provide addition funding to the regional school system will be determined by the voters. In my opinion, I wish to continue the successful trend of our regional school system and our local government; therefore I am voting in favor of the over-ride.
Ken Picard
Upton
UPTON DAILY 