To the editor:
The Beverly chapter of Stand for Children would like to thank Mayor Bill Scanlon and the Beverly City Council for their leadership and commitment to the children of Beverly by supporting a local-option meal and lodging tax.
Beverly's adoption of the meal and lodging tax will bring much-needed new revenue to the city while minimizing the burden on Beverly's citizens. These revenues are vital to maintaining a quality education for our children and preserving essential city services for all our citizens.
Beverly school administrators face huge economic challenges in trying to prepare Beverly children for the 21st century and meet the exacting measures and unfunded mandates of No Child Left Behind.
During the recent Beverly Citywide PTO "Evening of Accomplishments," Beverly citizens heard from teachers from all seven of our public schools about many innovations and programs Beverly teachers and administrators have implemented to help our children succeed and thrive.
For many, this was the first time they had heard of the shortfall our school system faces for the 2010-11 school year — a stark juxtaposition reminding us of all the good we have accomplished and how much we stand to lose.
The meal and lodging tax is a small step toward closing the budget gap. The leadership shown by Mayor Scanlon and the City Council shows their willingness to creatively work to solve our city's fiscal problems and help meet some of the budget shortfall. Continued innovation and collaboration are needed to help Beverly make up the remaining difference without reducing the level of education our children receive. To act otherwise is to short-change the future of Beverly and America.
We recognize that looking at new ways to do business, serious reform, and possible job losses, are also necessary parts of bringing our budget under control. The hope of level funding from the state is just not enough. As Stand members we will continue to lobby for initiatives that help cities and towns deal with the astronomical and unsustainable increases in health care costs.
We invite all Beverly citizens to join us at the Stand rally at the Statehouse on March 23 to let our legislators know we need help with this issue.
Julie DeSilva
Andi Freedman
Debbie Ploszay
Jim Povey
Kris Silverstein
The Beverly Stand for Children Strategy Team
Beverly
