To the editor:
Over the past month or so, I have read numerous letters to the editor concerning the upcoming override for the Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District. Most of them were well written and from the heart.
One that really stuck in my mind was titled "Adequate school budget essential to quality of life in Hamilton, Wenham." Again, I'm not arguing with the writer's opinion but, quality of life? Just what does that mean?
To me, that means some of our older citizens on a limited income can sit in their homes during the winter with just one sweater and blanket, instead of two. It means they can go out to eat someplace a little better than McDonald's, maybe twice a month, instead of once. It means being able to take a three-day vacation a couple of times a year during the off season, instead of just a single overnight. It means being to be able to pay for a brand drug instead of a generic because the generic causes undesirable side effects. These are just a few of examples of quality of life that many of the residents of Hamilton and Wenham haven't had to consider, yet.
The Hamilton-Wenham School Committee has been able to engineer a school budget override every year for the last 10 years; and if the figure of 10 years isn't accurate, it has to be damn close; maybe it's been more than 10 years. If the School Committee were a board of directors for a for-profit manufacturing company, what would they do if the bottom line was in the red? Raise prices. Right? But, if they don't raise them enough, they are still in the red. And if they raise them too much, they will lose customers, and they would be no better off. So, they would have to raise prices to a reasonable amount, and cut costs. Oh, the manufacturing unit is unionized, can only make a small reduction there, or take a chance on losing manufacturing capacity. The overhead, that's a good option. Combine the billing and accounting departments into one, there's a cost savings; and maybe hire Accountemps. It may cost a bit more, but there will be a bigger savings on benefits and pensions. Reduce the 'repo' department, if there is a crisis, a few can work overtime; in the long run it will cut costs. The secretarial pool, do the same. Department heads will have to take a salary cut. The CEO, if he/she wants to keep the position, will also get a salary cut. (Oh, that's right, the CEO is on a contract; well if the Board of Directors hadn't increased the CEO's salary with the last contract renewal by about 30 percent, maybe they could have saved a manufacturing position or two. The CEO would have left, you say? Hey, did they look to see if there was another that could have done as good a job, maybe better, for two-thirds the salary? They are out there, just have to try.) In the long run, the bottom line is improved, the manufacturing unit is still productive, and the company is a leaner, meaner company, competitive, profitable and still in business.
But, NO! Our School Committee, with their heads in the sand, can only throw money at the school system and say, "Don't worry; the customer will pay the higher price." Well, with the price of gasoline going up, the price of heating oil going up, the price of food going up, the price of house insurance going up, the price of health insurance going up, maybe, just maybe, their customers will say "ENOUGH." You've cut into my quality of life way too much. Maybe, just maybe, the customers will turn their backs and wait until they cut their costs, and, in turn, their prices, and still retain their quality of product.
I guess you know how I'm going to vote.
Michael Scoglio
Wenham
