Election Day is this Tuesday, March 8, 2016. You can find voting and ballot information here. I’m running for reelection, and I ask that you please vote for me, Kenny Rotner, for school board. I also hope you’ll vote for current chair Tom Newkirk, who’s done a spectacular job so far.
It’s hard to believe three years have gone by since I was elected to the Oyster River School Board. I am very proud of the work we’ve done. Here are some of our accomplishments:
Accomplishments:
- With wide community and staff involvement, we completed the strategic plan for the district, which had been languishing for years. The plan now guides decisions districtwide.
- We reached a tuition agreement with Barrington that gets us a high school size that can support a diverse elective program while also providing revenue that reduces the tax burden.
- We successfully built the Moharimet Gym and Cafeteria and shifted bus districts to handle overcrowding.
- We fit Full Day Kindergarten into the new budget, to start this fall.
- We addressed about half of $4.5M in needed capital improvements.
- We reinvigorated the artificial track and field initiative, which hopefully will be passed on Tuesday.
- We successfully united the community after the divisive boards and public controversies around 2011.
- We managed the transition away from NECAP to Smarter Balanced and Common Core.
- We’ve achieved a 100% graduation rate several years in a row.
- We kept budget impact increases under 3% annually, despite numerous shocks such as the state shifting retirement costs to the district (a few times), and this year, a 1$M health insurance increase.
Future Goals:
- Develop a plan to address the aging middle school.
- Change school start times to align with current research showing improved performance with later middle school and high school start times.
- Focus on continued academic excellence.
- Get the track and field funded and built.
- Hire a great high school principal now that Todd Allen has been promoted.
- Maintain budget discipline.
- More deeply address health and wellness concerns of our students.
I hope to see you at polls on Election Day, March 8, 2016. Please vote for me, Kenny Rotner.
Kenny Rotner 