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Letters

Amherst School Board Thanks Everyone For a Positive Start to the School Year

To the editor: 

      It pays to plan!  After a long and tumultuous summer of planning and discussing and replanning and then planning some more, Amherst schools have now been open for almost a month.  While everyone acknowledges there are still kinks to work out, our town of educators, administrators, and community members should feel proud of the plan they created and implemented!   

      Decision from DOE on unreserved fund balance: Last month’s letter to the editor from the board explained that, per Governor Sununu’s emergency order number 38, we were requesting to use our remaining unreserved fund balance (UFB) of $1.5 million to offset the cost of running our schools safely and effectively during the Covid-19  pandemic.  We followed the prescribed protocol of petitioning the state Department of Education and recently received word that our petition was approved.  While we had hoped to return these funds to Amherst residents this year, we can now use this money without further impacting the bottom line of Amherst taxpayers.  If our pandemic related expenses are less than we expect, we will be returning any unused funds.    

      FY-22 Budget Season: By the time you are reading this, our budget process will be in full swing.  On Oct. 1, the Board got its first look at next year’s budget.   On Oct. 15, various subcommittees that are responsible for doing a deep dive into different areas of the budget will begin to meet, and the results of the subcommittee meetings will be presented back to the board on Oct. 27 and Nov. 4.   At the Nov. 9 board meeting, the Board will hear a report from the Ways and Means committee regarding their findings from the subcommittees’ review.  On Nov. 16, the Board will conduct a joint meeting with Ways and Means to discuss their findings more deeply and come to a consensus on potential changes to the proposed budget.  The plan is to vote on a final proposed budget on Dec. 14, which the Board will bring to the spring town deliberative session.  

      JFAC news: On Sept. 30, the JFAC held a meeting to present final ideas and plans for any new construction or building renovation needed in the Amherst and Souhegan School Districts.  A recording of that meeting can be found on the SAU Facebook page and YouTube channel.   

      Policy Palooza:  After a summer of work by the SAU policy committee, the SAU board sent 54 of 55 policies to the district boards (Amherst, Mont Vernon and Souhegan) for a final review and approval.   A 98 percent approval rate deserves a round of applause, and the one swing and miss was a technical error that has already been fixed and will be presented to the SAU board on Oct 29.  If you have interest in reviewing current policies, you can follow the hyperlinks for the SAU and District websites.  The Amherst School Board will complete their first read of the 54 policies at the Oct. 1 meeting with the final read and adoption on Nov. 9.  

      Thank you!:  At our last board meeting we voted to accept over $4,000 raised by the Amherst Junior Women’s Club and the Amherst PTA.  These funds will help pay for large tents at our schools.  These tents will allow students and teachers to get outside, taking advantage of our beautiful grounds for months to come.  Thank you so much to both organizations for their constant dedication and commitment to our community! 

      Upcoming Meeting Dates: Amherst School Board’s next two meetings are Oct 1 and Nov 9.  The SAU Board will be meeting Oct 29 and Nov 19. 

      Finally, we want to thank everyone for a positive start to the school year: parents, teachers, administrators, and the community at large.  So many are bearing new burdens, but the strength of this beautiful little town shows clearly when we all lift together. 

      If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to the Amherst School Board at ASB@SAU39.org

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Amherst School Board

Elizabeth Kuzsma Chair

Tom Gauthier Vice-Chair 

Terri Behm 
Joshua Conklin 

Ellen Grudzien 

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Amherst Lions Club Thanks Donors for Their Support
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To the editor:

      The Amherst Lions Club would like to express our gratitude to the participants, donors and sponsors of our first virtual fundraisers.  Because of Covid19 we were unable to hold our Pancake Breakfast, the July 4th activities, the Red Sox Ticket Raffle and the Car Show and more.  We miss these times with you and truly hope that next year things will be better.  

      The Wood Flowers Fundraiser was great.  We had over 140 community members participating by purchasing the Wood Flowers, engraved with thoughts of love, memories, birthdays, graduations and many other happy phrases.  They added sparks of color to the Bridge of Flowers. 

      The September Calendar Raffle was also a hit.  We had over 425 tickets purchased, and we just finished giving away daily cash prizes for every day in September.  

      The Bridge of Flowers has been a welcoming sight this year in the light of Covid19.  Its rainbow theme sent a message of hope and joy.  Folks could enjoy it as they passed by.  We added a raised bed for perennials that will backdrop the annuals in the coming years.  

A special thanks to our Bridge sponsors.  They are Bo Dean, Currier Lumber, Novia of Salem, NH, House by the Side of the Road, Sunny Valley Farms, Home Depot, Siciliano Landscape, Amherst Garden Center and Lowes.  

      Please support our sustaining sponsors for 2020 sustaining sponsors for 2020.  They are Tier 1: Amherst Label, Budget Blinds, Cardoza Flooring, Ponemah Crossing Dental and McGuigan Financial.  Tier 2: Dr. Joseph Raczek, Kincaid Auto Repair, Moultons Market, SpeedPro Imaging, Bangor Savings Bank and Deb Farrow/Coldwell Banker.  Tier 3 are: Trombly Gardens, Classic Signs, Bar Harbor Bank, The Copy Shop, Suburban Propane, LDN Automotive and McBee Photography.  

The Amherst Lions appreciate the community support we get as it provides an opportunity to share that generosity with local charities supporting the blind, hearing impaired, homeless, abused, diabetes and food for the needy.  

      If you are interested in learning more about the Amherst Lions Club and our activities, please check out our website www.e-clubhouse.org/sites/amherstnh or email us at amherstlionsclub@gmail.com

 

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HEY! Amherst Voters!

To the editor:

      Our time to elect those who will determine our future fast approaches. In less than a month we have the opportunity to select those candidates who best meet our needs and wishes. It is we to determine the future of our state. It is our choice whether we remain one of the top 5 best states in which to live or become one of those in the mediocre middle. If you lived here all your life or moved here to enjoy what we have then it is up to each of us to embrace and protect the NH Advantage. The very reason we choose to live here.

      The record of my previous 8 years of service will show why my legislating to maintain or improve on the very reasons we all enjoy NH remains today. Did this occur without conflicting challenges? Certainly not. But by negotiation and believing what I do and doing what I believe we have what we enjoy today. I urge you to review the attempts of the current legislature to destroy what we have come to enjoy, to compare it to my experience, and choose to allow me to serve you in your NH House of Representatives in November.

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Peter T. Hansen

Amherst

Sununu: All In for the 603

To the editor:

      Governor Chris Sununu has shown himself to be a consummate pragmatist during challenging times, particularly in the early days of the COVID19 pandemic. The calm and rational approach he has employed played a significant role in why New Hampshire is in such great shape in terms of COVID when compared to other states. However, I would like to bring your attention to some of the other markedly important ways Chris Sununu has enriched our way of life in the granite state.

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  • In the wake of the COVID crisis, he disbursed $338,374,455 to New Hampshire small businesses through the Main Street Relief Fund. He moved all Family Violence Prevention Specialists across the state from part-time to full-time positions to assist DCYF in supporting victims of domestic violence and their children during the pandemic. He also prohibited landlords from starting eviction proceedings against those unable to pay due to their financial situations during the State of Emergency.

  • Ensuring the health and wellness of those most vulnerable, he reduced the average assessment caseload for child protection social workers from a peak of 93 in January of 2016, down to 17 today. He implemented suicide prevention training in schools across the state, integrated the Choose Love social and emotional learning curriculum in schools, and created the only youth drug treatment center in New Hampshire.

  • Near and dear to my heart, the governor has been an advocate for animals. He signed legislation into law to strengthen protections for animals and increased penalties for those charged with animal cruelty. Not surprisingly, he received the New Hampshire Humane Society’s 2019 Legislative Leader of the Year Award as well as the Nashua Humane Society’s 2019 Pets’ Choice Award.

 

    The point here is that, yes, Governor Sununu has shown grace under pressure and made critical decisions with excellent judgment. But I am writing to remind you that he has also taken great care to support policies that provide for the health and well-being of all granite staters, especially children and animals who cannot advocate for themselves. A leader who will do the work efficiently and with class, but will do so with heart, is exactly what New Hampshire still needs. Please vote to re-elect Chris Sununu this November and send legislators to the State Senate and House who will support his policies. Dedicated candidates like Gary Daniels, Daniel Pray, Pamela Coughlin, and Peter Hansen will work with governor Sununu to keep New Hampshire going strong (and income tax free!).

 

Sincerely,

Elaina Bedio

Amherst 

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Thank You to Amherst Voters

To the editor:

      Thank you to the voters of Amherst for voting in the September 8th Republican Primary.  A special thank you to the other State Representative candidates, it was wonderful working together in the Primary.  It is now on to the November 3rd General Election.  Please join me in supporting low taxes, less government and more local control.

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Best wishes, 

Pamela Coughlin

Candidate for the Hillsborough County

State Representative District 22

Tony Labranche for State Rep

To the editor:

      Hello, my name is Tony Labranche and primary season is officially over! I am so glad that the time and efforts of all of my supporters have propelled us towards the general election. I want to thank everyone who came to hold signs, talked to a neighbor, or simply made their way to the polls. 

      Our success on September 8th shows that we have an incredible amount of people in Amherst who understand that we need to take care of our families and our neighbors by putting progress above politics. On that day you proved we all want to live in a state where our children can get an affordable education, where your sons and daughters can raise a family, and where our retirees can continue to live without being forced out of their homes by ever-rising property taxes. 

      I firmly believe that we can be proud of our state and still understand that it is not perfect, and that it can be better. We can be better by having paid family leave so our workers can spend time with their children. We can help get rid of the negative partisanship that runs our politics with electoral reform. We can work to protect our environment for generations to come. These do not have to be partisan issues despite how they are often treated today. There is common ground among all of us in Amherst, regardless of what you are currently registered as. 

      With your support, we can help ourselves and those close to us by improving the beautiful town and state we live in. You can help support my campaign by going to tonylabranche.com

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Thank you,

Tony Labranche

Candidate for State Representative

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Vote for Dan Feltes

To the editor:

      Democrats and Undeclared voters, are you thinking of voting for Chris Sununu for Governor?

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  • Do you care about raising the minimum wage? At $7.25 NH has by far the lowest minimum wage in New England. The 2019-2020 NH Legislature twice voted to increase the wage. Sununu vetoed both bills.

  • Do you care about paid family and medical leave for NH employees? Again, twice passed and twice vetoed.

  • Do you care about reducing gun violence and closing background check loopholes? Gov Sununu vetoed 4 related bills.

  • Do you care about climate change? Sununu is the only governor in New England who has not joined the U.S. Climate Alliance, a coalition of 24 governors committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

     

      I urge you to do more research on the candidates and vote for Dan Feltes. As a State Senator, Dan has worked hard on behalf of all the issues you care about.

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Thank you,

Faye O’Neill

Amherst

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OCTOBER 2020

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