"Helfant for BoE" flyer

I don't yet feel that I know enough about some of the candidates for vacant BoE spots; here's a flyer for Astrid Helfant (PTO President), along with an open letter she recently sent to the current Board, and I'll be happy to post information about any others.

And the open letter she sent to the Board was

Hello -

Thank you for the work that all of you do to keep our school running smoothly. I have a few questions regarding the HCS Budget. I would very much appreciate all of your input. I plan on attending the two budget meetings held this week at HCS and would be happy to receive answers then.

Based on the information I've gathered from all the HCS meetings I've attended the last couple of months, I understand that the following are being (re)considered so as to balance the HCS budget:

- reducing the string program by eliminating 2nd and 3rd grade strings
- reducing the art positions at the elementary and high school to roughly 1.67 FTE
- continuing the cut of Junior Varsity Sports
- changing the pre-K program from two mornings to one morning and one afternoon

Please correct me if I'm wrong about any of these statements.

I was wondering if we could avoid all of these cuts / reductions by hiring an interim HCS Superintendent at 0.75 FTE instead and by eliminating the safety officer as well.

Could such changes enable HCS to reinstate the full string program, not reduce but instead increase the art program to 2 FTE, keep the pre-K to two morning sessions at least for the fall semester and reinstate Junior Varsity Sports?

If these items (or at least some of them) are still on the cutting board, would the BoE consider inquiring whether going beyond the 2% tax levy is a feasible option in our town.

Thank you for considering my suggestions. I look forward to the upcoming budget meetings and hope that these items could be addressed. Though I will confess, Molly, that I'm not sure the extent at which board members will be present during these two meetings.

Thank you again for your time,

Astrid