Sustainability of Education

An Educated Patriot: The Schools account for approximately 75% of the Town Budget, how can this School Committee continue the excellence of education we have seen (#1 in Science & #3 in Math in the State) under increasing fiscal restraint?

David Croston: The short answer is we can't, simply can't. America, its States, its Towns, are in a transitional phase from a growth economy to flat economy. Our State and Nation are coming to grips with decades of growth driven by unsustainable debt, and that "false growth" now blankets our Town and State. Our debt and pension liabilities as a State equal to 13.9% of the state’s gross domestic product, or $6,261 per resident. Fortunately, Portsmouth has one of the lower unfunded pension liabilities. Our health costs soared 14% last year, as our self-insured pool bit the hand that feeds it. Salaries and benefits are growing at an unsustainable rate of growth. Teacher's opting for a family health plan cost the Town $16,000 a year.

Over the last few days I have followed the comments on Portsmouth Patch. We are a town divided on ideology but seldom base our actions on real facts. If the facts were presented and trusted, we would have to be on the same page - the same as a family who takes home $4,000 a month but has $4,300 in expenses. The cold facts must be dealt with.

I have heard emotional responses from teachers and townsfolk, but when faced with the facts they all agree. The core problem that rips us apart is trust. This School Committee inherited the present situation from the last Committee. The teachers had failed to reach agreement with the past Committee and they now blame the present committee; what both Committees clearly understand is that there is no extra money.

The fact that there was a Referendum and the Referendum was defeated lies at the heart of this debate. We approach budget season with a structural deficit. We as a Committee must stabilize our expenditures, and salary and benefits are our largest outlay. Without trust it is hard to have this difficult conversation with our unions or townsfolk. Something has to change for us to hope to sustain our educational excellence.

I will speak to this in a later post describing how education must change its business model and our progress at the Science and Math Academy.