How did Falmouth educate 2,151 students for $10 million less six years ago and still have award-winning schools?

Six years ago the school budget was $24.9 million dollars. For the past six consecutive years, the school budget has increased a total of 40 percent, or four times the annual rate of inflation of 1.6 percent. Now a $1.7 million increase is proposed that will bring it to $34.9 million to educate the projected 2,148 students.

The real cost per student now stands at $16,262, not including parent-paid classroom supplies and laptop computers (grades 9-12), pay-to-play fees, parent volunteer time, boosters and fundraisers.

I do not believe anyone is against a good education. The people in this town have sacrificed every year to give the schools the proper tools. We have built two state-of-the-art school heating plants, and made hundreds of thousands of dollars in upgrades to the other school and facilities.

We were told these were one-time expenses that would save us money. Where are these savings? There has to be a more affordable way.

We have other major expenses on the horizon, such as the library, the much-needed Route 100 reconstruction, and maintaining open space. I have not seen the School Department demonstrate the due diligence and financial discipline to control spending.

John P. Winslow
Falmouth 


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