‘Want extracurricular? Hold a bake sale'

To the editor: Prior to last year’s school budget vote, one issue was that some wanted lacrosse to become a varsity sport (much costlier than non-varsity), while many residents felt that it was a slap in the face to ask taxpayers for extra money when we were already at or beyond our limit. We were happy to support our schools for academics (the reason schools were created), but needed to draw the line somewhere. That budget failed. Guess what? After being left with an “austerity” budget (a misnomer), the school board found a way to fund varsity lacrosse anyway. What did that mean? It meant that those funds are now “grandfathered” in to subsequent budgets. It meant that they had the money last year, they just wanted more. It meant that even though the voters sent a clear a message, they felt authorized to ignore it. It meant that instead of putting the money toward a teacher’s salary or new computers, they figured they’d simply get more from the voters for those things. It meant that they think of us as a bottomless pocket. Please remember their arrogance as you vote this year. Defeat the budget. Do it for our elderly, our future, and yes, do it for the children. They, like the school board, need to learn what priorities are all about and what “extracurricular” means. You want extracurricular? Hold a bake sale. B. Allan Warwick