Editor,
How many referendums will be enough to satisfy the hunger of the Westfield Washington School administration? The answer to that question may never be known, as the bloated Westfield schools continue to get even more bloated.
This money that is planned on being stolen is earned money from property owners; the same folks who must manage their own balance sheets after that money is stolen from them. How ironic. Why are the public schools immune to living within their means?
Nowhere in any discussion is there any mention of cost-cutting or efficiency improvements; rather, more and more spending on luxuries that have nothing to do with basic education. What is needed is more constructive instruction, not more and more construction.
There is no evidence that this referendum will promote educational progress. In addition, there has been little to no coverage of the details of this referendum, by either the school administration or the local media (including the Current, which has not exactly been challenging the school administration on those details). Purposeful topic avoidance in an off-election year to increase the odds of this referendum passing unknowingly by the citizens is not a new tactic.
It is past time for the Westfield Washington School administration to be sent a message that their days of salivating over taxpayer money are over. Voters, do not let complacency or apathy allow a 30-year mortgage on YOUR property for more frivolous public spending. Vote “NO” to finally force the Westfield Washington School administration to be stewards of taxpayer monies and start living within its means.
Vince Catanese, Westfield