It is kind of overwhelming to see that the No vote held the majority in all districts of Portsmouth. Is it possible to coordinate with the Canvassing Authority to get a detailed breakdown of the vote by demographic? (e.g. age bands, male, female, etc?) I think understanding who the participants are in our local government will tell us what the prospects are for the future of schools and services in our town. It seems that although we talk of a collective good, we can't seem to find a middle ground.

Local politics have become polarized like national politics, but in the case of Portsmouth it is parents that want an adequate education for their children facing off against retirees, people without children, etc. I'm sure there are some parents with children in the schools that voted against this, believing that the funding shortage would have no tangible effect. I hope these parents don't find that they have ignored the cries of wolf. I appreciate all the people without children who supported this effort, realizing that we don't want to live in a community where our graduates are not competitive.

While the teachers contract is negotiated in private and between the teachers union and school committee, there is nothing saying that a candidate running for school committee can't outline as part of their platform what they think an appropriate contract looks like. Is there consensus on what appropriate pay for teachers should be? Should they be able to afford to live among us in our town? Should there be inflation based adjustments in addition to step increases? What is an appropriate Copay? Take a blank piece of paper and write it down. If you are a candidate, that is what I want to hear from you. But don't pontificate on how they are not like the private sector; how they are not run like a real business. Propose changes and tell me how those changes will affect the budget in two, three, and five years time! Pledging to keep the budget flat or the increase below the cap is only worthy of praise if you are able to sustain the same level of service! Maybe I expect too much. Jamie Heaney's pledge that he wouldn't "Go Caruolo" seemed to be enough to get him elected. And did his contribution help resolve our budget woes? What specifically have Ms. King or Volpicelli done to improve our schools or make our budget outlook better? Parents with kids in schools don't want to rubber stamp tax increases anymore than the PCC does, but they are vested in the schools putting out a quality product. Decline is not acceptable and arguably there is lots of room for improvement.

The teachers give all appearances of being gracious and understanding the limits of funding over the last few years, although the status quo was probably better for them than the alternative of a new contract. As we look forward however, we have to find a way to keep teachers in the classroom and create an environment where our children can aspire to the highest standard. We must stop cutting teachers. If contractual issues are not addressed, the answer will be continued reduction of programs rather than a shared burden of reduced funding. Does granting raises to anyone while laying other people off, reducing your ability to achieve your mission seem counter-intuitive to anyone else?

Nationally it would appear that we are approaching a battle between generations; the baby boomers believing they are entitled to what they were promised and doing anything to maintain the status quo on everything from taxes to medicare to social security. For all the shock and anger many demonstrate towards the current government and the national debt they have accrued on our behalf, they will gladly elect a congress that won't touch them and will kick all reform on to Gen X and their children. But like they have always said, people vote with the wallets rather than for altruistic reasons. And I expect, vote they will.

Sorry to hear the struggle continues. At least we know they aren't wasting our tax money on the portsmouthri.com website! Maybe we could get a Graphics Design class at the High School to redesign! Oops, I guess that would be the unnecessary arts. - Cheers!