Hooksett School Board Member John Lyscars is asking some questions and making some points in conjunction with Warrant Article 3, the ballot question dealing with the proposed Pinkerton Academy tuition contract. In an email to the media, Lyscars questioned why there appeared to be secrecy surrounding the school board’s Warrant Article Committee and presentations made to the community. Lyscars, noting statements made by Board Clerk and committee member Cheryl Akstin that she would contact community groups about hosting presentations, said he’s seen no communication about presentations and wondered why. Committee Chair Phil Denbow replied that no presentations had been scheduled, but has yet to respond to our question regarding who, if anyone has been solicited. Lyscars renewed his charge that the tuition figures provided by the Warrant Article Committee are incorrect, stating that fixed costs assigned to the Manchester tuition amount in their presentation were obligations the board agreed to in exchange for the right to send their kids to any school and notes they will be paid no matter how many kids do or don’t attend Manchester schools. He asked the committee to correct the figures saying that this year alone the additional tuition and transportation costs to send kids to other than Manchester High Schools is about a quarter of a million dollars. As a result of the Hooksett School Board‘s maneuverings over the high school issue, taxpayers in Hooksett will see their school budget jump by nearly two and a half million bucks, with taxes projected to rise by at least a dollar forty cents per thousand to pay for it. Lyscars and Board Vice Chair David Pearl have questioned whether or not the board is engaged in electioneering by appointing a committee to support the contract proposal and using the board’s administrative staff, meeting places, Web site and other resources to persuade voters to approve the contract. Electioneering is prohibited by state law.
Meanwhile another sign controversy has erupted in Hooskett as proponents of the deal with Pinkerton are posting signs that say “Pinkerton equals Choice, vote Yes on Warrant Article 3.” Critics of the sign note that the ability of Hooksett parents to choose where to send their kids to school is very limited under the contract. Under the contract, Hooksett must send no fewer that seventy five freshmen every year to the school in Derry. If they fall short of that number, kids randomly drawn from a hat in lottery will determine who will go there. Then, in the sixth year of the contract, the town is committed to sending no fewer than ninety percent of all its incoming freshmen to Pinkerton. Using current estimates, that means that about fifteen kids will get to go to schools other than Pinkerton. One upset parent who brought this to our attention said that mandate means there’s no choice for almost everybody and said the sign is yet another example of how the Hooksett School Board majority of Trisha Korkosz, Phil Denbow and Cheryl Akstin and the pro-Pinkerton crowd are willing to say and do whatever they can to deceive Hooksett into adopting their disaster.
News from our own backyard continues after this.
Former US Senator Bob Smith has announced he will formally declare his candidacy for the seat he held for two terms. He plans to file the paperwork with the Secretary of State’s Office after hosting a press conference at High Noon on Tuesday March fourth in the lobby of the Legislative Office Building. Smith served in the senate from nineteen ninety one to two thousand three after serving three terms as Representative from the First Congressional District. He was known for his staunch social, economic and constitutional conservatism which he said in an engaging interview here on Girard at Large just two weeks ago would draw the sharp contrasts he believes are needed to beat incumbent Senator Jeanne Shaheen, spending, tax and health care machine. Smith is expected to face conservative activist Karen Testerman and former state senator Jim Rubens in the primary. Former Bay State Senator Scott Brown is also believed to be seriously entertaining a bid for the office.
The team here at Girard at Large is sorry to share the sad news of the death of an eight month old child. Cameron John Kosinski, whose mom, Dr. April Kosinski, was the first anchor of Your Health and Wellness here on the show, passed yesterday after a fifty day battle that started on his seven month birthday. According to accounts of the family’s facebook pages, C J went, in an instant, from perfectly healthy, happy and normal, to limp and lethargic. He was immediately admitted to the pediatric care unit at the Elliot Hospital where he was put on a ventilator, medicated for all kinds of things and tested for a variety of illnesses. He eventually improved enough to be transferred to Children’s Hospital in Boston, where stumped doctors were unable to diagnose the cause of the baby’s troubles telling the family that whatever it was, they believed it was a first of its kind disease. Friends are rallying around the Kosinskis, who are self employed and have been unable to operate their chiropractic practice during this time, to help with expenses. We’ve posted a link to a page raising funds to help the family and will have more details on events you can support. Ironically, Dr. April left our show due to the pregnancy that bore C J and she has helped countless families and charitable organizations during her time as a chiropractor so, on behalf of the family that likely wouldn’t ask for help for itself, we’re asking our listeners to click the links and do what they can to help a devastated family in need.
That’s news from our own backyard, Girard at Large hour ___ starts right now.
