Tue, May 13 2008 Editor, Townsman: Budget. Nobody likes this word, especially this time of year in Andover. But it is a fact of life. It involves making choices and prioritizing what is most necessary and important to you and your family. It is up to our town leadership to devise a budget that meets the needs of today and prepares for the future in a fiscally appropriate and responsible way. Unfortunately, each year the cost of everything from health care to supplies to utilities increases. Delivering education under the No Child Left Behind Act is complicated, expensive and, whether you support it or not, federally mandated. Yet to meet the town manager's recommended budget numbers, schools Superintendent Claudia Bach would have to remove more than $2 million from the school budget, putting our high school athletics and more than 40 elementary school teachers and assistants at risk, and increasing elementary school class sizes. This is unacceptable. Like other improvements in our town, education is an investment we need to make. There are many things that make Andover a desirable place to live, but the quality and reputation of our school system tops the list. Regardless of whether you have children in school, education benefits each and every one of us. It is what keeps our real estate values consistently high. It is our responsibility to safeguard this investment in our town, in our children and in our future. All of us need to make a choice and prioritize what is most necessary and important to us and our families. If the only way to avoid such deep cuts to our schools is to pass a Proposition 21/2 override, then we need to know the impact of such an override on our household budgets and put it into perspective. It will affect everyone differently and we all have a choice. Choose education at Town Meeting on April 30. Claudine McBride 6 Starwood Crossing
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