On April 27, the Manchester community will be given an opportunity to vote on our school budget.  This is an extremely critical time for our school district.

Last year, due to a huge state aid cut of $2.3 million, our district was forced to eliminate 22 educational and support staff positions as well as several educational and sports programs.  This year, a 2% cap and large increases in fuel and benefit costs have forced the district to make another $1 million in cuts to the budget.  Additional cuts in staff and programs would severely jeopardize the abilities of our district to maintain the quality of education that our students need to be successful in college and/or careers.

With the cooperation of the entire instructional, support and administrative staff, the Manchester Board of Education made changes in the employee benefits program to produce a savings for the district of $1 million.  This change will benefit our district and our community without compromising the quality of education.

Please review our budget on our website and/or attend one of our budget presentations, and vote for what you believe is in the best interest of the Manchester Community and our students.

Sincerely,

David Trethaway

Superintendent of Schools