To the editor:
A recent letter made the claim that a large part of the proposed ConVal budget increase is for the “establishment of a pre-school program … (that) is in direct violation of the articles of agreement. In fact, this proposed increase for the PreK pilot year is actually an expansion of the PreK program that has been in place at Peterborough, Antrim, and Greenfield for many years.
This successful program has been part of the ConVal budget for a number of years, and serves as the district’s federally required and partially funded 3-5 year-old Special Education requirement. There is no violation of the Articles of Agreement: the Articles serve as the minimum requirement, documenting what must be offered and to whom, and does not preclude adding those new programs that the district sees as necessary to educate our children.The demographics in New Hampshire are changing. Demographers and economic development experts have counseled that in the face of New Hampshire’s shrinking workforce and an inability to attract a younger skilled workforce in the numbers needed, the state should consider the potential in its own population that is staying in New Hampshire. Investing in our own people? Sure, it seems that’s good advice. So how do we go about strengthening our investment? There is a significant body of research from fields as diverse as education, neurology, psychology and economics that clearly indicate the most ‘bang-for your-buck’ time of human development are the 0-5 years.
It is clear that in this 21st century, in this nine community school district, PreK is needed. Forty-five states have already made that decision.
Janine Lesser
Peterborough, ConVal School Board member