IMPORTANT VOTE SATURDAY, MAY 16, 2009

IMPORTANT VOTE

SATURDAY, MAY 16, 2009

MEETING HOUSE HILL SCHOOL
FROM 8AM — 8PM.

       (1) $32.6 MILLION SCHOOLS RENOVATION AND

       (2) 2009 — 2010 TOWN AND SCHOOL BUDGETS

$27.6 MILLION OF THE RENOVATION IS FOR MEETING HOUSE HILL SCHOOL (3RD — 5TH GRADES) WHICH BECAUSE OF LONG TERM DECLINE IN ENROLLMENT CAN BE EMPTIED IN JUST 6 — 7 YEARS. CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL WOULD THEN BE PRE — K TO 4TH OR 5TH GRADES (EDUCATIONALLY SOUND) AND THE MIDDLE SCHOOL WOULD BE FOR 5TH TO 8TH GRADES OR LEFT AS IS.

WE ALREADY HAVE THE SMALLEST KINDERGARTEN CLASS IN 24 YEARS AND THE SMALLEST 1ST — 4TH GRADE CLASSES IN 13 — 16 YEARS. BIRTH RATES CONTINUE TO DROP. IN 8 — 9 YEARS, TOTAL SCHOOL ENROLLMENT IS EXPECTED TO DROP FROM A PEAK OF ABOUT 3,100 DOWN TO FEWER THAN 2,400 STUDENTS. IT DOESN’T MAKE SENSE TO BE PAYING A 20 YEAR MORTGAGE ON AN EMPTY SCHOOL!

A WORTHY PROJECT FOR NEXT YEAR, WHEN PRESIDENT OBAMA’S STIMULUS WILL BE AVAILABLE IS LIMITED RENOVATION TO THE HIGH SCHOOL.

BUDGETS — BOTH ARE TOO HIGH CONSIDERING THE POOR ECONOMY AND THAT NEW FAIRFIELD RANKS 2ND HIGHEST IN COST OF LIVING (TAXES, HOME PRICES) OF 23 CT TOWNS OF SIMILAR POPULATION. WILTON RANKS HIGHEST (#1). NF RANKS 42ND IN WEALTH, WILTON 4TH, BROOKFIELD 30TH AND RIDGEFIELD 11TH HIGHEST OF 169 CT TOWNS. NEW FAIRFIELD MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME IS ONLY $108,725.

 

REVALUATION — NF HOME PRICES ARE BACK DOWN TO 2004 LEVELS. EXPECT LITTLE CHANGE IN YOUR ASSESSED VALUE THIS OCTOBER UNLESS YOU’VE MADE CHANGES.

NEW FAIRFIELD MEDIAN HOME PRICES — MANY ECONOMISTS EXPECT HOME PRICES TO CONTINUE TO DROP BACK TO 1998 LEVELS — DOWN 50% FROM 2006 PEAK.

• 1999 — $238,900
  
• 1998 — $208,240
• 2000 — $244,450
• 2003 — $305,000
  
• 2005 — $407,250
  
• 2006 — $422,000
• 2007 — $401,500
  
• 2009 — $???,???

NEW FAIRFIELD HOME SALES — NEW FAIRFIELD HOME SALES CONTINUE TO DROP FROM A NORM OF 269 IN 2006 TO 174 IN 2007, AND ONLY 113 HOMES SOLD IN 2008. NEW FAIRFIELD HOME SALE TURNOVER 2000 — 2006 WAS ABOUT 34%. AS HOME PRICES CONTINUE TO DROP TO 1998 LEVELS ESTIMATES ARE THAT MORE THAN 60% OF HOMEOWNERS BECAUSE OF LIBERAL BANK MORTGAGE TERMS (0% — 5% DOWN), WILL OWE MORE THAN THEIR HOME IS WORTH.

ECONOMY — IT TOOK 25 YEARS FOR THE DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE (1954) TO RETURN TO THE STOCK MARKET PEAK OF 1929 (START OF THE “GREAT” DEPRESSION). JAPAN IS STILL IN A RECESSION AFTER 20 YEARS AND MANY STIMULUS PACKAGES.

 

EDUCATION — TEST SCORES ARE WORSE SINCE OUR NEW SUPERINTENDENT TOOK OVER FOUR YEARS AGO. MARK TWAIN ADVISED, “DON’T LET SCHOOL INTERFERE WITH YOUR EDUCATION”. SOMEHOW OUR ADMINISTRATORS GET IN THE WAY.

TEST SCORES — OF 24 TOTAL STATE TESTS, WE ARE IN THE BOTTOM 50% OF OUR SIMILAR DISTRICT REFERENCE GROUP IN 21 OF THESE TESTS. 3RD — 5TH GRADES CONTINUE TO BE ESPECIALLY EMBARASSING. ONLY 8TH GRADE DID PAR.

THE RESULT — FOR POORER TEST SCORES AND POOR JUDGEMENT IN SCHOOLS RENOVATION PROJECTS, OUR BOARD OF EDUCATION REWARDS OUR SUPERINTENDENT WITH AN $8,000 BONUS. 

GO FIGURE!

YYOUR TAXES WILL GO UP AS THE VALUE OF YOUR HOME DECLINES, UNLESS CUTS ARE MADE 

VOTE

 NO!

PAID FOR BY NF TAXPAYERS ASSOCIATION — RUDY BEHRENS TREASURER.  QUESTIONS, CALL 746-5934