We Need a Prop 2 1/2 Override for Amherst
- by: Our Amherst Community
- recipient: Amherst Select Board & School Committee
We have cut teachers, librarians and services, closed schools, re-organized and created efficiencies across town for the past 5 years. We cut 55 full-time positions in our schools last year alone. Yet we are $4m short this year.
The Federal and State governments have cut our schools and town funding. We can't control that or the economy. But we do have control over our local dollars. We need to save the worst from happening with a sensible Proposition 2 1/2 override. There have only been 2 overrides in 30 years.
We will continue to make cuts and find efficiencies. But the facts are: we still need to cut $1.3m from our middle and high schools. With a sensible override we will only need to cut $700,000. The scenario is the same across all our schools and libraries and town services. We need to draw the line somewhere. Let's save Amherst from the worst cuts.
Send this petition to your friends, your neighbors, your family in Amherst.
The Federal and State governments have cut our schools and town funding. We can't control that or the economy. But we do have control over our local dollars. We need to save the worst from happening with a sensible Proposition 2 1/2 override. There have only been 2 overrides in 30 years.
We will continue to make cuts and find efficiencies. But the facts are: we still need to cut $1.3m from our middle and high schools. With a sensible override we will only need to cut $700,000. The scenario is the same across all our schools and libraries and town services. We need to draw the line somewhere. Let's save Amherst from the worst cuts.
Send this petition to your friends, your neighbors, your family in Amherst.
What Makes Amherst a Great Place
Think about what makes Amherst a great place to live. %u2028Great schools. Vibrant libraries. Responsive police, fire, and EMTs. Green open spaces. A vibrant downtown. A diverse community. Strong property values. The kind of place where you talk with your neighbors, know your local business owners, and pitch in to help out %u2013 whether it%u2019s on a ball field, in your child%u2019s school, or at the Survival Center.
Amherst didn%u2019t get this way by accident
Our quality of life has been built over generations, supported by public systems that reflect our %u201Cbook and plow%u201D values. In good times and bad, Amherst citizens have done what it takes to preserve our community.
Amherst%u2019s managers have been responsible stewards:%u2028
%u25CF Created a citizens%u2019 committee to review the town%u2019s finances and operations;
%u25CF Made fiscal changes to reduce future expenses by closing a school, closing a pool, regionalizing public safety dispatch services, renegotiating employee health insurance;
%u25CF Developed a master plan to preserve current open space and generate more revenue from existing developed areas;
%u25CF Put in place financial safeguards to support our bond rating, further reducing costs;
%u25CF Made significant cuts to departmental budgets including cutting school staff, police officers, library hours, recreation services, senior services, and many others;
With new managerial and political leaders, these efficiency efforts will continue. But the scale of what we face is larger than that.
We simply can%u2019t continue, year after year, to cut our way out of these shortfalls -- not if we want to preserve the things that make Amherst a great place to live.
The drop in state aid that came with the national recession is the root of our problem now. The recession appears to be ending, but state aid cuts will persist for several years. Do we want to wait and let this short-term, external crisis damage the Amherst we have built over the years? Or will we step up now and bridge the gap to the recovery that is on the horizon?
%u2028A balanced approach: cuts override = responsible stewardship
The citizens%u2019 committee concluded that Amherst needed both service cuts/restructuring and an override. Other towns sought overrides last year; we tightened our belts first. Now it%u2019s our turn to pitch in.
In the last 30 years, Amherst has had only two overrides to support the operating budget.%u2028We don%u2019t make a habit of this. We don%u2019t like to do it. But when the roof is leaking, you fix it to protect your home.
Vote Yes! for Amherst
Amherst is a project 250 years in the making. Let%u2019s come together as a community and make the investment we need now to protect our history, our values, and our future.
Sign PetitionSign PetitionThink about what makes Amherst a great place to live. %u2028Great schools. Vibrant libraries. Responsive police, fire, and EMTs. Green open spaces. A vibrant downtown. A diverse community. Strong property values. The kind of place where you talk with your neighbors, know your local business owners, and pitch in to help out %u2013 whether it%u2019s on a ball field, in your child%u2019s school, or at the Survival Center.
Amherst didn%u2019t get this way by accident
Our quality of life has been built over generations, supported by public systems that reflect our %u201Cbook and plow%u201D values. In good times and bad, Amherst citizens have done what it takes to preserve our community.
Amherst%u2019s managers have been responsible stewards:%u2028
%u25CF Created a citizens%u2019 committee to review the town%u2019s finances and operations;
%u25CF Made fiscal changes to reduce future expenses by closing a school, closing a pool, regionalizing public safety dispatch services, renegotiating employee health insurance;
%u25CF Developed a master plan to preserve current open space and generate more revenue from existing developed areas;
%u25CF Put in place financial safeguards to support our bond rating, further reducing costs;
%u25CF Made significant cuts to departmental budgets including cutting school staff, police officers, library hours, recreation services, senior services, and many others;
With new managerial and political leaders, these efficiency efforts will continue. But the scale of what we face is larger than that.
We simply can%u2019t continue, year after year, to cut our way out of these shortfalls -- not if we want to preserve the things that make Amherst a great place to live.
The drop in state aid that came with the national recession is the root of our problem now. The recession appears to be ending, but state aid cuts will persist for several years. Do we want to wait and let this short-term, external crisis damage the Amherst we have built over the years? Or will we step up now and bridge the gap to the recovery that is on the horizon?
%u2028A balanced approach: cuts override = responsible stewardship
The citizens%u2019 committee concluded that Amherst needed both service cuts/restructuring and an override. Other towns sought overrides last year; we tightened our belts first. Now it%u2019s our turn to pitch in.
In the last 30 years, Amherst has had only two overrides to support the operating budget.%u2028We don%u2019t make a habit of this. We don%u2019t like to do it. But when the roof is leaking, you fix it to protect your home.
Vote Yes! for Amherst
Amherst is a project 250 years in the making. Let%u2019s come together as a community and make the investment we need now to protect our history, our values, and our future.
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