What Were Croydon Voters Thinking?

An opportunity of a life time is gone.   Ann at the AG's office,   NH NEA,   NH AFT,  NEA, AFT, and all the other busy bodies that meddled in Croydon's business will make sure this never happens again.  What were you thinking Croydon voters?  If you like your failing and underperforming schools and high taxes you can keep your failing and underperforming schools and high taxes. 

The sad thing is many who will suffer the most under high food and gas prices could have really used that $1000-$3000 savings in their property taxes if the $800,000 budget remained.  

Will you follow people blindly you only hurt yourselves. 

Cathy Peschke 

The Five Lies that had to be Accepted to vote Yes for the 1.7 million Dollar Budget

 List of Lies 

1.  Little Red would be closed.  The school board repeatedly said Little Red would not be closed.  Instead the rumor continued to be spread by the We Stand for Croydon Students crowd.  It was fear mongering plain and simple.  Sheep won't ask questions, they will follow the crowd. 

2.  Deficit spending will cause taxes to go up next year.  Actually, no it would not have, but hey lies will get people to vote against their own interests.  It is like the tree voting for the axe.  

3. Prenda would not provide as good of an education as the current model.   Newport School is 84th out of 89th in New Hampshire and Little Red is Croydon Village School is ranked #252-267 out of 425 elementary schools.   Our schools are failing to educate our children.  10-14% of students are achieving proficiency in math at Newport, it is no wonder that the We Stand For Croydon Students Children crowd was so easily able to manipulate people into voting for the higher budget.     $10,000 per student is generous, $22,000 per student is not only greedy but illogical when students perform so poorly.  

4. The 1.7 million budget was only going to cost an extra $100-$300 dollars a year.  That was a lie that amount is on top of what taxpayers already pay annually towards the schools.  I suppose if someone was not the one writing the checks for their property taxes or taxes are taking out in escrow someone could easily fall for the lie.    It is surprising how easy it is to get the chickens to vote for Colonel Sanders. 

5. School choice would go away.  The Stand Up For Croydon Students kept shouting that but that was a lie.  $800,000 budget allowed for even more choices than before.    The crowd did not want to hear anything about that. With the help of outside organizations who wanted to protect a broken system they made sure people did not get that message. 

The NEA and AFT and their members had a big influence with time and money to fight for the $1.7 budget.  They were the biggest winners.  It certainly was not the taxpayers of Croydon or the children. The children are still locked into a failing school system with no plans for improvement other than keeping the status quo. 

Someone said they were proud of the vote and people coming out to support the 1.7 million budget.  I would not be proud of it if I was part of that group.  I would not be proud of pushing such high property taxes on my neighbors or pushing to keep such poorly performing schools to continue to operate in their current manor.  

The ones who actually cared about education were the ones who said it is time to try something new instead of keeping the same broken system. 

Cathy Peschke 

The World is in Need of more Ian Underwoods

Another outstanding article by the brilliant Ian Underwood.    The following article appears in full at Granite Grok. 

"At Wednesday’s school board meeting in Croydon, a former school board member and current math teacher — the latter detail turns out to be important — stood up to say that he is ‘happy to help pay to educate other people’s children.’

Now, this guy pays at most a few thousand dollars each year in school taxes.  At the same time, the town pays at least fifty thousand dollars each year towards schooling his three kids.

Put a few thousand in, take fifty thousand out.  In what sense is he helping to pay for anything?

To put that a different way, ask yourself:  If you put $3 in the poor box, then reach in and take out $50, in what sense are you helping the poor?

Of course, maybe he means he’ll be happy to keep paying even after he’s paid back what he’s taken from the town.  When would that start?

Well, $50 thousand a year times thirteen years (K-12) is $650 thousand.  If he’s paying $2500 a year in school taxes, he should be able to get around to actually helping in about 250 years.

As Richard Mitchell might say, the really interesting question here is whether this guy understands what he’s saying, or doesn’t understand it. In either case, you can at least be happy that he’s probably not teaching math to your children."

To read more of Ian's brilliant writing visit Granite Grok. 

Croydon Had a Unique Opportunity

Croydon had a unique opportunity to reform public education to ensure its long-term viability.

On May 7th, we squandered that opportunity.

"We Stand Up for Croydon Students" ran a tremendously effective campaign to persuade 377 voters to overturn the town hall budget.  This campaign, successful at its immediate goal, depended heavily on outside influence - the very sort of outside influence a recent NEA video hypocritically warned us all against.

Did our town enter a Faustian bargain with these outside groups?  What are the long-term consequences of this invitation to meddle?

The methods of this campaign have left a stain of hostility on our community.  The NEA, AFT, and other self-serving influence peddlers will pack up and move on to their next target, leaving the people of Croydon to pick up the pieces.

It didn’t have to be this way.

As fiercely as I disagree with some members of this community, I truly believe that, left to our own devices, residents on both sides would have run a more amicable and civil campaign. The final vote may have remained the same, but we would not be faced with possibly years of senseless acrimony whose creation was standard operating procedure for the meddling outsiders, who in no way need bear its cost.

Croydon’s fate must now, and forever more, be the domain of Croydon residents, and residents only.  No spoon is long enough to safely work with these outside groups.

Jim Peschke 

Correcting Inaccuracies

My name is Aaron, vice-chair of the Croydon School Board, writing in response to the recent article regarding the Croydon School budget decision currently making waves. There were several inaccuracies in this article, which some parents have been spreading both locally and in various news outlets.

The school board is proposing major changes to our educational model in order to meet a highly reduced budget forced through by local taxpayers, but lower cost does not necessarily mean lower quality. In fact, it might prove to be better.

In K-4, we would not be laying off all teachers. We currently have 2 teachers and 2 assistants. Under the new model, we would retain 1 teacher and bring in 3 instructors hired by Prenda, whom the NH Department of Education currently has a contract with. They use a mastery approach that is self-paced but also incorporates group activities and project-based learning that better emulates the real-world.

In grades 5-12, choice is not being eliminated, but expanded. Instead of choosing between a handful of failing public schools, parents would be able to choose between 40+ different types of curricula to find the one that best matches their child's learning style. Instruction would be provided by certified teachers at fully accredited schools. Although these schools would be online, the actual learning would happen in a physical location along with other children and facilitated by an in-person coach. The in-person experience (used in addition to the online curriculum) would be provided by Kai Learning, who recently signed a contract with the NH Department of Education.

Local private schools such as Newport Montessori and Mount Royal would still be fully covered by the $9,000 tuition cap.

Regarding Newport High School, it's worth mentioning they are one of the worst rated schools in the entire state (see NH Dept of Education data and US News and World Report). We reached out to the Newport Superintendent about negotiating better rates, to which he expressed complete unwillingness to negotiate. Other local schools are not much better on performance, with the exception of Sunapee, which is very selective with which of our students they accept.

Regarding welding and other trade programs, this would still be available to children and could be provided under the $9,000 tuition cap. This is offered by the Sugar River Valley Regional Technical Center, not Newport High.

Finally, since online tools are being employed in this model, it's worth noting that screen time would be limited to 30 minutes for K-2, 90 minutes for grades 3-4, and 2-3 hours for grades 5-12. This is not "COVID-style" remote learning with 6+ hours of screen time every day.

The school board has not "magically found a way" to do what we've been doing, but for half the price, as suggested by some of our local parents. We have spent countless hours researching options, meeting with various educational providers, and poring through financial models. We have not found a way to do what we've been doing because what we've been doing provides a poor education to our children at a price that is unacceptable to taxpayers.

The model we have come up with is well-researched, already being successfully used elsewhere, and would allow all our children to have 100% custom-tailored educational experiences, while still maintaining socialization and enrichment. Paying $23,000 per child for a poor education is unacceptable, and more money is not always the solution. It's time we make use of current innovations in education and deliver what our children truly deserve.

Don’t undo Croydon vote

The following Letter to the Editor appeared in the Union Leader  

Don’t undo Croydon vote

To the Editor: As the May 7th Croydon budget do-over vote approaches, it is important for residents to understand what is at stake and how to make their wishes count. Two bits of misinformation have come out lately that must be addressed so that people can make informed choices.

One writer suggests that raising the budget from $800,000 to $1,700,000 will cost a typical homeowner between $100 and $200 per year. This is far lower than reality. On a $300,000 home, the increase is over $2,100 per year.

Another writer suggests that all voters, regardless of their position on the increase, should attend the meeting to make their voices heard. This is a trick. This meeting does not operate in the usual manner, where the majority of votes wins. Since this is a do-over meeting, no vote may take place unless 283 or more voters attend. Attending the meeting to vote against the increase actually helps to pass the increase by helping to reach quorum. Don’t fall for it.

If you support the tax increase, attend the meeting and vote yes. If you oppose the increase, do not attend the meeting at all. In either case, understand the consequences of this vote — the tax increase is much higher than advertised.

JIM PESCHKE

Croydon

It's a Spending Problem

 

Information about Micro Schools

This link will take you to information about micro schools.   Click here. 

Make an informed decision.  This is a David and Goliath moment,  possibly a life changing moment for education in America.   In America?  Yes, look how much money and time the NH NEA and NH AFT are putting into supporting the 1.75 million budget on May 7th. 

Stay home or do not pull a ballot on May 7th.  

Cathy Peschke 

Good Luck on May 7th - Enjoy the nice weather at home

Good luck to all sides on the 7th. 

The total number of BALLOTS must reach 283 for the vote to be legal. 

Those in favor of the 1.7 million budget need your ‘no’ vote to make their ‘yes’ votes count. 

So the ONLY way to vote against the $900,000 increase is to NOT cast a vote on May 7th. 

Please don't let intimidation be a factor in voting on Saturday, it will only encourage more of it in the future. It is your money, it is not greedy to want to keep your own money and expect the school district to be more fiscally responsible with taxpayer dollars. 

Cathy Peschke 

“• As society rapidly changes, individuals will have to be able to function comfortably in a world that is always in flux. Knowledge will continue to increase at a dizzying rate. This means that a content-based curriculum, with a set body of information to be imparted to students, is entirely inappropriate as a means of preparing children for their adult roles.” 
― John Taylor Gatto, Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling

Correcting Some "Facts" Again

Jim's responses in red to Chris  Prost's Letter to the Editor.  

Second chance for Croydon voters

I’m a Croydon resident and I’ve read bold claims about what has happened here. Over 100 registered voters of our town have petitioned the school board to hold a special school district meeting to reconsider the massive budget cut that was passed. We’ve been called “sore losers” and “crybabies” by some who claim this is part of an illegal plot to change the vote. In fact, we have followed the processes in RSA 197 to petition for this meeting.

Nobody that I’m aware of claimed the do-over vote, or the methods used to obtain it, were illegal.

Only 34 voters participated in the budget vote at the original school district meeting.

According to historical records, this turnout was typical, not low as often claimed.

 We’ve been told that those who didn’t show up that day brought this budget cut upon themselves. They weren’t engaged, and now they have to face the consequences.

Apparently not, since you’ve managed to obtain a re-vote.

The special school district meeting is a new opportunity for the town’s residents to weigh in. Per the RSA, we need 50% of registered voters to participate, and that’s a good thing. It will provide a truer picture of the townspeople’s thoughts on this budget that will dramatically alter education in our town.

Insincere, to put it mildly.  This meeting isn’t about finding out what townspeople think.  It’s about trying to overturn the March 12^th vote.

Would this revote have happened if the same 34 people voted against the budget cut?  Would you have collected 100+ signatures for a do-over vote just to “provide a truer picture of the townspeople’s thoughts”?

Opponents attempting to express their thoughts at board meetings since the town hall were berated, ridiculed, and often silenced by the same people who organized the petition.  That doesn’t sound like they want to know what others think.

However, many who favor the budget cut have decided not to attend the meeting and are telling other residents to stay home — including in letters printed in the Valley News. These are some of the same people who say residents brought this on themselves by not showing up to the first meeting.

The two meetings operate under different rules, and for good reason.  You know this, but would like to trick opponents into helping you reach the quorum of 283 attendees necessary for any vote to take place.

There is no reason for any opponent of the 113% budget increase to attend the meeting.  The way to vote “no” is to stay home.

You can’t have it both ways. Being engaged means voicing your opinion when the opportunity arises. I’m asking all Croydon residents to attend the special school district meeting at 9 a.m. on May 7 at Camp Coniston to make their voices heard.

And I’m asking all Croydon residents who don’t want a $900,000 increase in their property taxes to stay home.  If you attend and plan to vote “no”, you will inadvertently help to pass the tax increase by bringing attendance closer to the needed quorum.

Attending the meeting helps pass the tax increase, no matter how you vote!  They’re trying to trick you.

These people don’t care what you think.  They just want you to show up so they can reach the quorum.

The best way to defeat the tax hike is to STAY HOME on May 7^th.

“I don’t think we’ll get rid of schools any time soon, certainly not in my lifetime, but if we’re going to change what’s rapidly becoming a disaster of ignorance, we need to realize that the institution “schools” very well, but it does not “educate”; that’s inherent in the design of the thing. It’s not the fault of bad teachers or too little money spent. It’s just impossible for education and schooling to be the same thing.” 
― John Taylor Gatto

Effort and Greed

I have been amazed at how much time, effort, and money the Stand Up For Croydon Students crowd has  put into trying to pilfer more money from their neighbors though higher taxation.    Can you imagine if such effort went into helping the school board reach that $800,000 budget?    

$22,000 per student is greedy. 

$10,000 per student is generous. 

If you agree with the $800,000 budget, stay home May 7.  

Cathy Peschke 

“Independent study, community service, adventures and experience, large doses of privacy and solitude, a thousand different apprenticeships — the one-day variety or longer — these are all powerful, cheap, and effective ways to start a real reform of schooling. But no large-scale reform is ever going to work to repair our damaged children and our damaged society until we force open the idea of “school” to include family as the main engine of education. If we use schooling to break children away from parents — and make no mistake, that has been the central function of schools since John Cotton announced it as the purpose of the Bay Colony schools in 1650 and Horace Mann announced it as the purpose of Massachusetts schools in 1850 — we’re going to continue to have the horror show we have right now.” 
― John Taylor Gatto, Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling

Do Over Dictators - Democracy schmocracy!

The We Stand For Croydon Students thinks they are entitled to your money and screw the democratic process.  

The following excerpts are from Granite Grok. 

Cathy Peschke 

"It’s rare to read a story about the recent Croydon budget adjustment that doesn’t mention how small the number of voters was, as if it was some kind of anomaly.

The final vote was 20-14.  For comparison, here are the tallies for votes in recent years, at the town and district meetings, where votes were reported in the minutes:  16-8, 38-5, 20-17, 18-15, 20-12, 22-19.

I say ‘ironically’, because requiring even this watered-down version of consent would make it clear that the people calling for the special meeting do not, in fact, object to small turnouts. What they want is a turnout that is just small enough that they can use majority rule to confiscate property, where consent — approximated by the ‘super-duper majority’ contemplated here — would prohibit that.  Which is to say, they don’t have a problem with small turnouts, just with what they see as the wrong turnouts."

To read this entire brilliant story by Ian Underwood, click here.

If you want lower taxes and education reform we suggest you stay home May 7. 

Schools are Not Free

"The more subsidized it is, the less free it is. What is known as "free education" is the least free of all, for it is a state-owned institution; it is socialized education - just like socialized medicine or the socialized post office - and cannot possibly be separated from political control." - Frank Chodorov, "Why Free Schools Are Not Free"

Schools have become an entitlement and those that use them have become very greedy and ungrateful.  $10,000 per student is generous anything above that is just greedy.  We have poor families subsidizing wealthy families.  Do your part for more responsible spending in government schools stay home May 7. 

Cathy Peschke 

Have You Even Read About Prenda?

Have you even read about Prenda, or are you only getting your inform from the We Stand With Croydon Students crowd?    Three teachers in town have a direct conflict of interests, they want to protect the school budget because they are teachers, at least one of them boasts being a proud teacher union member.

If you believe in the individual you can't support unions, at least I can't.  This country was founded on individual rights, unions are the anthesis to the individual.    Good employees don't need unions.  Bad employees are protected by unions.  If you stand for freedom, you stand for the rights of individuals.  Union dues are just another form of tax and slave/master type situation.  Employment laws protect individuals there is no need for unions. 

Teacher unions' serve teachers not students.  There are plenty of books to read about how the teachers' unions have destroyed public education in America.  With test results being mediocre at best and Newport Schools ranking in the bottom 20% why not give Prenda a chance?  As a parent the first thing you did was research it yourself and not have someone else tell you about the program, right?  A person especially would not want to hear from teacher who is trying to protect their own racket. 

Giving the $800,000 budget a try is a huge David and Goliath moment.  It could be the end to excessive spending and poor educational results in public education. 

Click the title to read about Prenda and do some more research yourself. 

Cathy Peschke

Recovering Bright Futures

Every student deserves a Recovering Bright Futures Program.

The Department is partnering with Prenda schools for a new and exciting grant opportunity 

to support your students and families who have experienced learning loss and who have 
may have experienced significant stress and disruption as a result of the COVID-19 
pandemic – Recovering Bright Futures. 

The Recovering Bright Futures Program offers School Districts and communities the 

opportunity to provide students with access to Learning Pods starting this fall.

Learning Pods may be new to many, but throughout the pandemic and across the country,

they have served thousands of students in a small-group, multi-age and trauma sensitive 

learning environments. Learning Pods are particularly helpful to students who have 

experienced learning loss and will thrive with more individualized attention.

Learning Pods as an option for those students who might benefit from this unique, 
supportive educational environment. The Department will also directly support the 
creation of Community Learning Pods, especially for families who do not have a 
District Learning Pod available to them.

The Department will offer grants to School Districts to support the creation of District 

Learning Pods as an option for those students who might benefit from this unique, 

supportive educational environment. The Department will also directly support the 

creation of Community Learning Pods, especially for families who do not have a District 

Learning Pod available to them.

School Districts interested in the Recovering Bright Futures Program will received 
grant application packets separately.

What is a Learning Pod?

Learning Pods involve, small, in-person, multi-age groupings of students in a trauma sensitive 
environment that allows children to stabilize, rekindle curiosity, and accelerate learning 
so that they might catch up with their peers. Generally, a micro or learning pod has 
between 5 – 10 students in grades K-2, 3-5 or 6-8 groupings. One New Hampshire 
elementary education teacher, who taught in a Learning Pod this year, described it as 
outstanding and noted that her own child was thriving using this learning system. The 
learning system, which is aligned to the New Hampshire academic standards, 
focuses on empowering learners through three different mastery and project-based learning 
modes each day: Conquer, Collaborate and Create.

To read the rest of the information click here. 

The Question is Why Aren't you Fighting Against the 1.7 Million Dollar Budget?

 

They Think You are Stupid

Let's talk about the $800,000 budget.  What if it does succeed and what does it mean to your family?  

In the first year depending on the size of your home you can save $1000-$3000 or even more if you live in an expensive home.  

In the fifth year your family could save a total of $5000-$15,000. 

In the tenth year, assuming the community is intelligent enough to keep smaller budgets you could save  a total of $10,000-$30,000. 

In the twentieth year, your family could save a total of $20,000 - $60,000.   

As time progresses the amount would be greater depending on inflation.  

What could you do with that money?  College for your children?  Pay off your home?  Save money for retirement through investments that money you save could triple by retirement.  

It is not greedy to want to protect your own money.  We are not asking you to protect our jobs, we are not school teachers with conflicts of interest.  We are not asking you to protect a broken or bloated system.  We are asking you to give this $800,000 budget a chance.  This is a David and Goliath moment that can mean great change for the greater good and your own financial security in the future. 

Cathy Peschke

Character

 

Resignation

 I have resigned my position as Supervisor of the Checklist in Croydon. Our Municipal attorney said we would be following the law and not be suppressing the vote if we did not hold a public meeting until May 31st.   I believe allowing a 47% quorum by adding voters goes against the intent of the law, which calls for 50% to reach quorum. I really don't want to be a part of making that happen. It goes against my principles and my character and is a slap in the face to those who made the effort to register to vote before February 26th and/or on election day March 8th, and to those that attended the meeting on March 12.  It is a slap in the face to the tradition of town hall meeting day. I could not live with myself.  Principles matter greatly to me.

Allowing people to register to vote when otherwise ineligible encourages more outrageous behavior and I don't want to be a part of it.  It would be a horrible example to my children.

 I will not be attending the May 7th meeting, as I don't want quorum reached.  I encourage all Croydon voters to stay home as well. $10,000 per student is generous, $22,000 is greedy. I ask my fellow residents who believe school taxes are too high to just stay home on May 7th.  If you don’t want your school taxes to go up 113%, just stay home.  If you want your property taxes to drop about $1000-$4000 (depending on home value) just stay home.  Don’t let the status-quo tax-and-spend crowd reach the 283 people needed to overturn the democratic process in Croydon.

Cathy Peschke