Londonderry News

This is going to be a little about me, a little about the schools and a lot about Londonderry.  Thank you for your consideration, I know how valuable your time is.

Relocating from an apple orchard in upstate New York in the early 1980′s Londonderry was at the start of a growth spurt.  I recall the frantic efforts to get our twins, four years old into a pre-school so they could even have space in a private Kindergarten, the only type available at the time. Different times, some roads were gravel, some roads had phone poles in the center of the intersection, trash pickup was private and the airport had airshows several times a year.  They would just stop the show to let the commercial aircraft land.  Back then after you landed your bag slid through a hole in the terminal, next to the door you just walked through. Then you found a red box and put in your $1 honor system payment in it for parking at the field.

Public service for me started in scouting in central New York, working my way to eagle scout it was clear, and still is to this day, community service is for life.  Not just an award or for personal reward, though I will say there is no experience more rewarding than being up close and personal with your children, our students on the stage, when they graduate from Londonderry High School.

Through the years like many of you, I baked brownies for school, helped out at LAFA, worked with the scouting program at troop 426, served as committee chairman for Pack 901, went back to troop 426 and served as chair.  Twelve years ago that all lead to a run for elected office.

It was not much of a leap, Kathy and I donated time to food drives, we started to donate our companies products to Old Home Day, why not learn more about our local volunteer government.  After an attempt to be appointed to the Manchester Airport Authority and being turned down in the late 1990′s I looked further into elected office.  After that failed effort to apply to the MAA, I went to talk to the town manager Dick Plante. He said simply, “No one knows you, you should get involved more.”

The story goes, at least as I remember it, I went to town hall and asked what was open for the 2000 town elections. I was told Budget Committee and Town Council.  Town Council sounded good, those were the guys that turned me down for the MAA. The clerk said it cost a buck (it cost one dollar back then to sign up for any paid elected positions) I reached in my pocket and had no cash. The clerk responded “budget committee cost nothing.”  That was what I signed up for, what I could not appreciate and did not know, is the learning ground that it would provide.

I have to say, then and now, I get so much more from the town and school than I could ever give.  The knowledge, information and life experiences are so abundant at times they are overwhelming.  If you have ever considered this path, do it! You will not be disappointed.

Be sure click Read More to read the rest of Steve Young’s position paper.

Budget committee combines both the school and town governments, you have a lot of meetings in the winter, but the rest of the year is rather light.  Lucky enough to be selected as Chairman by my fellow BC members, I asked the town and school managers to come to the meeting, off budget cycle, to teach us about what they do.  Pre-Leadership Londonderry this brought even more information and training to the members of the Budget team.

In those three years I applied again to the Manchester Airport Authority, this time I was selected.  Working with the organization for 8 years on this advisory board was an outstanding opportunity.  As a Single Engine Land, Single Engine Sea, Instrument rated pilot and a proponent of appropriate development near the airport it was a great blend.  The odd thing about the authority is it has none, it is an advisory board, this requires a steady hand to understand the boundaries and to work within them.  The goal always was, the best thing for Londonderry, the Airport and the southern New Hampshire region.  Manchester has term limits, my term came to an end, and after the waiting period I hope to apply and be selected again.

After my term ended the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport appointed me to their Master Plan Steering Committee an honor and especially useful since it focused “outside the fence” with much of that land in Londonderry.

But back to the School Board, after all that is what I am running for this year.  Following one complete term on Budget Committee I ran for School Board in 2003.  Ron Campo ran with me that year and won, he had been on the board for a decade or more, had been off for a year or two over that time but won the year we ran, and each election since.  The union wanted to “meet with me” to find out where I stood.  As I recall it was at Moose Hill, our new Kindergarten, I spent more time listening than I did telling them where I stood.  Since that day, for three terms now, I have found it is better to listen first before formulating an opinion and implementing a plan.  That is particularly important with parents and voters.

Three terms since then on the school board, it does at times feel like the blink of an eye. In nine years my goal has been to be a fiscal conservative while being sure we never had the classroom sizes my children had.  Around 1990 some classes at Mathew Thornton had over 30 students in them and they held class in the cafe, with partition walls.  That issue, some personal issues that would not be appropriate to talk about here, were the seed that lead me to select the school board 9 years ago.  Another thing I always think about, represent the communities needs, not a personal agenda.  It’s ok to use your life experience to carry out your duties as a board member, but you should not be driving the board with agenda items.

Each and every year of those 9 years I have, as my 1/5 of the board been committed to assure that the budget presented came in at or below default. In the early years of my tenure, the district was saving thousands through energy cost reduction and bring special education students back home. In the recent past the district has had a reduction in student population, in those years we have guided the district to “right size” and reduce staff to match the student population.  “Default” is the amount of money the state would allow the district to spend should the voters not approve the school board/deliberative budget.

Let me make it clear, the cost savings and right sizing were not the result of a “one man show” they were a team effort.  The superintendent his direct reports and every member of the school district including board members and parents are responsible for the success.  The taxpayer too, is responsible for the success of the district.  The contribution they make provides the funding to sustain a strong district, attract companies to the region and keep home values from being depressed further than they are in this tough economy.

In the category of “things happen for a reason” following a tragic accident where I lost our youngest son, the school funding crisis struck once again.  House Bill 616 threatened, and did take away funding from our students and other students in New Hampshire.  As chairman at the time, along with Nate Greenberg we formed The New Hampshire Communities for Adequate Funding of Education (NHCAFE) we pulled together like communities and towns and held the state accountable.

We won that battle in the Mid 2000′s the court ordered that the state legislators define, cost out and provide funding for an adequate education.  Today the state  provides about $3,450 for education in Londonderry and to other districts.  Hardly adequate but at least, for now we finely know what we will be getting.  HB616 was a spreadsheet like many before where the fat cats in Concord decided who would get what funding.  They selected to ignore the Clairmont decisions and they were wrong.

The biggest challenge is the state continues to find methods to downshift expenses to the Londonderry and other school districts.  This years budget was prepared knowing they would put $1.5 million on the backs of Londonderry taxpayers alone next year.  No longer able to wiggle out of the adequate education funding, they found other games, a shell game where they could put the burden on you the local taxpayer.

The largest portion $900K is in the loss of retirement funding committed to in past years.  The rest split with Catastrophic aid (special education funding), transportation funding, vocational funding and an increase in the State Tax Rate.  The state tax rate is a local tax, you pay it, it never goes to Concord, it stays in Londonderry but is set by our elected officials at the state house.

Now likely after you vote this March, the state house will vote on a Constitutional Amendment so they can “Target Funding” they can target funding today, they just don’t do it.  Don’t get me wrong, I know there is no money in the state budget, I know state revenues are down, I know they can not find a solution.  We should understand that.

It is time for a solution, it is time to take care of ourselves.

Occasionally a few people, a very few, come to school board meeting to bring up, cuts and reduction in the budget. I can understand their concerns and identify with them as a fiscal conservative, the school district has two sides to it’s business.  Hard to see these two sides compared to the town government, after all, it is the town that collects the taxes that fund the schools.  The school side is the “spending” side not the revenue side.  For this reason, for those looking for savings, the solution is always cutting the budget.

Let’s take a look at the questions the Londonderry Times asked the Candidates.

First question.

“How do you balance quality education with a time of shrinking funds and increasing needs?”

Educational funding comes from three sources, state, federal and local taxpayers.  Clearly State and Federal funding will continue to decline. We need to continue our careful use of limited funds to provide a quality education for all students. The community also needs to focus on expanding the tax base in the industrial, commercial and retail areas.  This growth brings tax positive revenue.

I included my answer here as provided to help with the context.  I focused on the facts, the loss of funding, including that we have to use the funds with care.  I also focused on a solution, increasing revenue.  Somehow I don’t think they liked that answer.

They sent out a second question, “We decided to ask the School Board and Council candidates one more question.  It is as follows: “If the economy continues to be poor, what does that mean for next year’s budget process?” said Kathy Bailey in an email.

I told her it was just about the same as the last question.  However, I knew that would get translated to “refused to answer the question” so I tried again. They allowed more words for this one, not as limited as the first.

Second Question.

“If the economy continues to be poor, what does that mean for next year’s budget process?”

I expect that the budget process will be similar to what has been done the 9 years I have been on the board.  Since 2003 the School Board budget has been at or below default, I will make every effort to continue that practice.

As the student population continues to decline, I would continue the “right sizing” of the district, eliminating positions as needed while keeping the quality education we enjoy.  The community needs to focus on revenue as well as the expenses of the school district.  I have taken a proactive move with others founding and launching the Londonderry Commerce and Visitors Center. This promotes Londonderry and the region with the goal of desirable commercial and industrial development, with the goal of increasing revenue.

You see, now the Londonderry Times got to the point, “what are you going to cut!” The school budget process has little revenue portions to it. We, the school district, can’t register cars, tax your utilities or charge fees for your dog.

The other newspaper took a different approach.

Eagle Tribune, Derry News Question.

“What is the single most important issue facing the school district (25 word limit):”

Continued loss of state funding, downshifting of costs to the Londonderry taxpayer by the state. Solution, desirable commercial and industrial development broadening our tax base.

Twenty five words it was tough, very tough to do.  But for those of you that have “struggled” this far in my position paper, I am sure you will appreciate the brevity of my answer!

They did not ask, what I would cut, they asked the issues we face.

Time to turn to the revenue side.  Please take a look at the Mission Statement of the Londonderry Commerce and Visitors Center.  Kathy and I have founded this with a group of like minded people. The intent is to showcase Londonderry to bring desirable commercial and industrial development to town. To broaden the tax base, the solution is conservative management of the funds we have and increasing revenue.  Then I would hope, the taxpayer can get a break, by reducing the tax rate since it is spread over a larger group of tax positive ententes.

Don’t say it can’t be done, the economy is bad, it’s to hard, no one is doing anything.

In 1989, when the economy was bad, the Deluca family bought what is now the Auto Auction corner for about half a million dollars.  It now has a value of $6,500,000 and payed over $132,000 in taxes last year, with no children in the schools.

When AES, now Granite Ridge Energy came to town, we were renting in one of the buildings on the Auto Auction property.  They came to the door, referred to ImageAbility Inc. and our services to help with sighting of the plant.  A lot that was worth a few hundred thousand dollars near the airport now provides energy to the region attracting businesses and pays a mammoth $6.5 million in taxes.  That is $3.00 on the tax rate!  It was hard for them to build that plant, many in the community did not make it easy, the project was daunting.  Even the nut holding the stacks down could not be carried in your pickup truck.  It was big, really big, some said impossible but it was not.

Desirable development is the solution, take Harvey Windows they pay $366,692. That “buys” four teachers.  Why not a solar panel or door manufacture in the open space on that roadway?  Home Depot pays about the same, how about a Cabela’s or a Target in Londonderry?

What if the tax base was broadened and taxes reduced with desirable development?  Then cuts would not be the only solution to increasing costs.  Revenue would be available to cover them, more importantly that commercial revenue would bring down the tax rate like it does in Portsmouth.

I understand, no one here wants Londonderry to look like Portsmouth, but in that city a $400,000 house pays $1,200 less a year in taxes than we do!  They don’t have the undeveloped land like we do just 45 minutes from Boston.

Business is Good. Life is Better! Join us spread the good news about Londonderry, time to get that desirable development and reduce our tax rate. Visit the Londonderry Commerce and Visitors Center, part of the solution.

I would appreciate your vote Tuesday March 13th, please come to the polls.  In addition to selecting your elected officials you are going to vote on spending about $100 million! If you were one of the 14,000 that came out for the presidential election the last time, this is your chance to have your vote really count.