To the editor:

Our school district and community are confronting agonizing decisions in the face of a sharp reduction of state aid, our limited commercial and town revenue, and the escalating costs of health care, unfunded special education mandates and contractual union obligations. Everyone is keenly aware of the economic hardship that many in our community are facing during this severe recession. The goal of Support our Schools (SOS) is to protect and preserve as much funding to the Hamilton and Wenham schools as possible.

In that light, we hope everyone is aware that the School Committee is already in the process of building next year's school budget.

In addition to the School Committee, several bodies within Hamilton and Wenham town government impact the quality of the education in our community. The decisions of Finance and Advisory Committees (FinComs) in each of our towns have a large impact on quality of education. The FinCom works with town officials to determine the town's operating budget, including the amount of funding for our schools. Based on the funding provided in each town's operating budget, the School Committee must either make cuts or place programs on an override.

Last year, the towns' contribution to the schools was historically low.

In February, the Wenham and Hamilton FinComs will inform the School Committee of the town's contribution to the schools for this year. Please attend the upcoming FinCom meetings in your town to better understand the financial challenges facing our towns. Meeting dates can be found on the calendar posted on each town's Web site at www.hamiltonma.gov and www.wenhamma.gov. While these meetings are open, there is not (historically) an opportunity for public input. However, questions and comments can be submitted to the chair of the committee via e-mail or telephone.

We also hope that the community will attend the upcoming School Committee budget workshops on Thursday nights, Jan. 15 and 22 and March 5 and 12 at 7 p.m. in the Buker multipurpose room. This will be an opportunity to better understand the process by which the budget is formed and to listen to School Committee discussions on the budget. These meetings can also be viewed on the local access cable Channel 10. Prior to attending the meetings, you might find it helpful to visit the district Web site (www.hwschools.net) to read the School Committee's FY10 Budget Assumptions PowerPoint presentation.

These various boards and committees are staffed by our neighbors, friends and fellow citizens. We are grateful for the many hours these volunteers dedicate to making our towns and our schools the best they can be in trying times. Please join them in working together for the best outcomes possible.

Sarah Gaylord

Deb Evans

Save Our Schools co-chairs

Wenham