Your headline “SAD 51 school budget could cost up to 30 jobs” could just as easily have said “Seniors being forced from their homes by greedy SAD 51 teachers.”

It seems rather greedy to accept an 8.17 percent salary increase when all about them other government employees are accepting cuts in pay and furlough days as we all try to weather this devastating financial recession.

Their union spokeswoman, first to speak at the public budget meeting, tried unsuccessfully to make excuses as to the reason they would not renegotiate their contract. Her whining about our teachers getting less than other nearby towns’ teachers fails to take into account that our towns do not have the businesses and higher valuations that these other towns enjoy. When everyone else is hurting from the economic downturn it seems very arrogant and avaricious of these teachers to take such a stand.

They want the money even while the rest of society suffers and in the case of SAD 51 taxpayers we will be forced to cough up additional taxes to pay for the $882,000 increase in teacher salaries. It is ludicrous. Shame on them.

I have yet to find another school district with such a high wage increase. Voters of both towns should vote down this budget until the teachers agree to renegotiate their current contract.

George A. Fogg
North Yarmouth