| February 17th, 2010 Buy the book: Manchester school spending Ok'd The city will make a major investment this year in new textbooks for its public schools. Mayor Ted Gatsas won the aldermen's approval last night on a plan to spend $3.2 million in "one-time" money on textbooks and "information technology" for classrooms. Superintendent Tom Brennan said the loan will buy "easily thousands" of much-needed books after years of careful rationing. "We'll be able to finally catch up," Brennan said. The mayor's plan requires the school district to repay the loan over the next eight years, with an interest rate of 1 percent. It also requires the district, over the next several years, to set aside $250,000 per year for textbook purchases. Members of both boards approved the mayor's plan unanimously. "I'm looking forward to spending the money now. Thank you," said Dave Gelinas, the school board's vice chairman told Gatsas. Brennan said he plans to buy as many textbooks as possible before the next school year starts in September. Some of the money could be used to buy equipment for classrooms -- for instance, software packages or electronic white boards. Officials on both boards said it's been apparent for years that Manchester's schools are not equipped with the textbooks they need. Gatsas, who has been making a tour of the city's schools, said many of the books are at least six years old; some go back 15 years. In many classrooms, Brennan said, students aren't allowed to take the textbooks home. Instead, he said, they store the books under their desks, so that the next batch of students who sit there will be able to use them. Brennan said the district intends to make it clear to students that the books are their responsibility. If a student does not take "proper care" of the book, he or she will be charged. "Just like in the old days," Brennan said. Gatsas, who at one point sounded more like a teacher than a mayor, was explicit about his expectations. "They must be covered," he said, referring to the books. "They must be turned in at the end of the year and be used with respect." Gatsas said the loan will have no effect on the tax rate. City Finance Officer Bill Sanders said the $3.2 million will be taken out of the city's "special revenue" account, which has typically been used for economic development projects, including purchases associated with the former Jac Pac plant and the downtown ballpark. The subtraction of $3.2 million leaves $4 million in the account. Sanders said he does not believe the loan will have any bearing on the city's bond rating. Gatsas said the district's first payment of $432,000 will be due in July 2012. The district's payments will drop slightly each year after that. Budget documents prepared by the school district show spending on "books and information resources" has hovered between $344,000 and $383,000 over the past few years. Before that, the documents show, the district was spending roughly $900,000 a year. Alderman Ed Osborne said he has been hearing about the need for new textbooks for "30 some odd years." "I hope this settles the whole situation forever," he said. - authored by Scott Brooks, New Hampshire Union Leader, 2/17/2010 Back To News |
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Paid for by Ted Gatsas for Mayor. B. Rivard, Fiscal Agent PO Box 6655, Manchester, NH 03108 603.623.0220
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
