Standel: It’s Up To The Voters Of Milford To Save Our Schools

MILFORD, NH — The time has long past for those who represent progress in our school system, to stand up and speak publicly, frankly and bluntly about what’s at stake in the coming school board election and most importantly for the registered voters in Milford to show up and vote on March 10th. The last town election drew 16% of the registered voters. 84% stayed home!!! We can’t have a democracy if the voters don’t participate so get to the polls and VOTE! Yet the simple act of voting isn’t enough...you must understand the issues.

Here are the facts! Some time ago, a small group of activists leading the Teachers’ Union, allied with a similarly small group of malcontents, created an organization calling itself "Milford Strong." The leaders of Milford Strong who employ a coordinated effort to coerce and humiliate those who oppose them, must be called out for what they are: a group of individuals whose goal is to naysay any meaningful changes to the district and maintain the status quo. Make no mistake, they wear an emblazoned, T-shirt which is effectively a uniform designed to signal in shorthand something that stands for a whole realm of policies or positions among which are to terminate Dr. Huizenga and drastically alter or eliminate the proposed changes in the school district’s Strategic Plan. Unfortunately Milford Strong, through its campaign of misinformation, rumors, half truths, untruths, and clever slogans, have succeeded in camouflaging their goals of self-dealing and drawing into their ranks, others who are really blind to their ultimate goals and what those goals would mean to our town. Specifically, their desire to discharge Dr. Jessica Huizenga, if implemented, would set our school system back to its previous status; good for them but not for our students. Dr. Huizenga has marked her tenure by being informed by facts and data as opposed to the opinions and innuendo expressed by those associated with Milford Strong. Dr. Huizenga has organized a community effort resulting for the first time EVER a detailed Strategic Plan for our school system that was finalized last year after many months of volunteering by a group of over 100 parents, educators, students, administrators, staff, community leaders and business owners alike. This plan was carefully designed to strengthen the curriculum and instruction of the Milford schools.

What is the current status of our schools? Contrary to the affirmation that our system is in fine shape as expressed by the Milford Strong advocates, the facts speak for themselves and one only need look at our most recent Milford High School ranking (by U.S. News & World Report) among other New Hampshire high schools and compare our students test scores to others to realize how much we need to change. The high schools in our neighboring towns: Hollis/Brookline ranked #4 in the state, Bedford, #7 and Amherst (Souhegan) #11 while we languish in 46th place! 46TH PLACE!!! Is 46th place acceptable to us? What are Milford High School student test scores? In an era where science and mathematics are educationally essential, more than half of Milford High students are not proficient in math, over 1/3 are not proficient in reading and over 60% are not proficient in science! We must change this!

Our district’s academic performance has, for years, lagged despite oppressive property taxes, per-pupil spending and teacher salaries that are among the highest in the state. In fact, Milford has, for decades, provided one of the most desirable educator compensation packages in the state — among the top 5. Our teachers currently average over $69K in base salary alone with many earning $80K or more. In addition, generous health benefits are provided in which the district covers 80%-90% of insurance costs and provides generous guaranteed retirement benefits. For example, if a teacher’s highest average compensation was $75,000 and he/she worked for 30 years, the earned and guaranteed pension would be $37,500 annually or $3,125 monthly (Milford taxpayers, through our assessed property tax, pay 2/3 of that retirement benefit to our retired teachers; that’s almost $25,000!). In addition, Social Security benefits (that average at least $18,000 annually or $1,500 monthly) would provide a retired teacher in our example, approximately $55,000 annually in retirement benefits. We should not begrudge our teachers their pay and benefits but the teachers’ union leaders exaggerate the issue.

So Milford Strong’s goal is to backpedal the Strategic Plan (again, the first ever created and implemented in our town) and the progress so far initiated in our school system. They seek this in order to protect their jobs, increase their benefits and reinstate their costly Early Retirement Benefit, all of which translates into lowering education standards and simultaneously adding yet more cost that increases our already prohibitive property tax.

It’s vitally important for the citizens of Milford to recognize that the creators of Milford Strong are acting in their own interests rather than in the interests of the Milford school system, most of their own members as well as the students within that school system. The coming election in March will be a watershed for Milford and the voters must be aware of what's at stake. What was OK for past superintendents and for our schools must not be tolerated in the future. Our pocketbooks and more importantly our children can’t afford that.

Mike Hannon, Holleigh Tlapa and Judy Zaino have identified themselves as strongly supportive of Milford Strong’s goals. There are three candidates for the upcoming election who are worthy of consideration: Dave Wilson, Rick Wood and Michael McLean. All support Dr. Huizenga and the forward-looking plan for our district. Unfortunately there are only 2 seats to be filled and if the vote is split among those three candidates then it’s likely that either Judi Zaino or Joseph Vitulli will be elected, both of whom identified with Milford Strong’s goals.

A step forward would be for voters to elect Dave Wilson and Rick Wood and as for Michael McLean, a good candidate: he should run for the next term and that way a current vote for him won’t dilute the votes for all 3. It’s clear that the election of anyone other than Rick Wood, Dave Wilson or Michael McLean would provide a majority vote on the school board to gain the goals of Milford Strong; the discharge of Dr. Huizenga and the trashing of the Strategic Plan!

It’s critical for the progress of the Milford School System and for the children in our community that that we not be swayed by slogans, rumors, school board disruptions, and intimidation and elect both Dave Wilson and Rick Wood. Everyone must vote and must vote intelligently and fully-informed.

Harry Standel lives in Milford.