Opinion
Letter: Reconfiguration is not the only issue
The effort by the ConVal School Board to reconfigure the school district has raised many issues. In response to this, the Dublin Select Board has appointed the Dublin Education Advisory Committee (DEAC) to investigate educational opportunities for the...
Letter: Education Freedom Accounts bill is a giveaway
Three years ago, New Hampshire embarked on a program that, in theory, would provide financial aid to students and families unable to afford private or homeschooling opportunities. In the first year, the price tag was about $300,000 for 1,635 students....
Viewpoint: Alan Edelkind – ConVal vote is democracy in action
By ALAN EDELKIND
On Tuesday, Feb. 6, the ConVal School Board held the annual budget deliberative session at the gym in ConVal High School. This is an annual event where we present the budget and warrant articles that are budget-related or require ConVal district...
View From the River: Johanna Arnone – A trusted, local and free tax resource
Punxsutawney Phil has predicted an early spring this year. I don’t know about trusting groundhogs with meteorology, but Phil was right about one omen of spring. Like it or not, tax season is here, and April 15 is just around the corner. The River...
Letter: Running to focus on children
Several parents, like myself, have been diligently, without fanfare, dedicating time and energy to the Mascenic school system to fill in gaps for school functions or take up the slack in things like budget analysis and review.Many people asked me to...
Letter: Can't we do better?
Every year about this time and beyond, when the weather warms up and the snow begins to melt, the roadways in the Monadnock region are exposed.What we see as we drive, walk, run and bike are mounds of trash, mostly recyclables such as bottles, cans...
Letter: Taxes shouldn’t cripple children’s futures
Due to the property revaluation this year in New Ipswich, many properties will see a large tax increase.The school budget is $21,146,355 and the enrollment is 880 students, which equals $24,000 per student. They could be individually sent to private...
Letter: Consolidation will be best for children
I moved my family to Peterborough over 10 years ago.When we moved here, our intention was to join the ConVal School District. We didn't care what school or if the town that we moved to had its own school. We strongly considered moving to Sharon, a...
Viewpoint: Jeanne Dietsch – Does smaller classes improve achievement?
By JEANNE DIETSCH
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has spent billions to determine how to best improve student achievement. Its conclusion was that its focus would be on improving teachers’ performance.The foundation director cites a Los Angeles district study which...
Editorial – A need for answers
We’re a month away from the ConVal reconfiguration vote, and it seems there are more questions than answers. We need answers if we’re to confidently cast a vote.We know that something needs to be done. But what is the best path forward?What is the...
Letter: Imagine it’s in Peterborough
Imagine the prosecutors closing arguments to the jury: “Closing the elementary school in your town forces your children to be bused out of your community. It causes less personal attention from their teacher resulting in lower academic achievement....
Letter: Closing elementary schools solves nothing
The warrant article to close four of our elementary schools is ill-reasoned and rushed. The argument that it be passed in order to do a real analysis is spurious.I understand the burden the ConVal budget puts on our towns, and in turn on taxpayers,...
Viewpoint: Robert Bitterli – Answers to ConVal questions
By ROBERT BITTERLI
The ConVal School Board recently published a very thoughtful opinion by Elizabeth Swan, Temple’s representative to the ConVal School Board. (“People love schools, but restructuring needed,” Jan. 16.) I would like to offer my view. My wife and I are...
Opinion: Take a close look at the Credit Card Competition Act
By MELANIE LEVESQUE
Melanie Levesque is a former NH state senator. As the first African American state senator in New Hampshire, I was proud to work to empower Granite Staters, not put stumbling blocks in front of them. Access to finance is key to empowering people to...
Viewpoint: Mark Hayward – Records proposal must be defeated
By MARK HAYWARD
“Dear Sir or Madam,I am making this request under the New Hampshire Right to Know Law …”As a New Hampshire reporter for more than three decades, I sent my share of letters and emails that began with these words.It was a simple process. I made a...
Letter: The real problem with Boeing
Fox News is running a false narrative that blames diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) at Boeing for its poor safety record.Boeing had a hard-earned stellar safety record until it was merged with Douglas and the people who spent decades building the...
Letter: Secession simplicity
A few years ago, a pod of Texas crazies was advancing the prospect of Texas seceding from the Union. The blowback from the rest of the country was "adios."The seceding bug has now bitten a handful of New Hampshire legislators and, surprisingly, many...
Letter: Becoming accountable
As a farm boy, I quickly learned about choices and consequences, although initially it was difficult owning my problematic behavior.It seemed a lot easier to point the finger of blame toward other people, places and/or things, as in “The devil made me...
Viewpoint: Stephanie Hurley and Carol Nelson – Expanding tax relief would be good for Peterborough
By STEPHANIE HURLEY and CAROL NELSON
Why vote for an amendment to the Community Revitalization Tax Relief Incentive RSA 79-E? Plans are already underway for zoning amendments to be presented on the ballot at Town Meeting on May 14, and we are writing to explain how we want to expand this...
Editorial: This is the time, so go out and vote
Today is New Hampshire’s every-four-years turn in the national spotlight – the day of its presidential primary.If you haven’t voted yet today, get on your coat and go vote – now! Vote to support democracy and democratic principles. If you are Democrat...
