Tom Gauthier for Amherst School Board

03/14/2022

I want to thank everyone who came out to the polls last week for what turned out to be the largest town election since I've lived in Amherst. I sincerely appreciate those who voted for me to a second term on the Amherst School Board, and I respect those who supported other candidates. While our budget, school project, and new teacher's contract were all voted down, I am eager to get to work with the board, including new member Jason White, and administration to find the best way to hit our default budget. I am also looking forward to getting back to the drawing board to find an agreement that teachers, the board, and voters can all get behind. And, of course, we still have major long-term facility concerns so we'll get that team back together too.

I strongly believe we are finally past the days of Covid mandates and hope we can focus solely on gaining back the ground we lost for kids and staff during the last two years. The work will not be easy but that that is not what any of us expected when we ran for a school board seat. As always, you can reach me here or you can reach the board at [email protected].

03/02/2022

One week until election day and the biggest item on the ballot is our proposed project to renovate Amherst Middle School and build what is an essentially brand new, consolidated Clark-Wilkins Elementary.

When I ran in 2019, I had already been serving on the Joint Facilities Advisory Committee for several months. Our mission was to look at our buildings and come up with a plan for them for the next 20 years.

In full disclosure - when I joined JFAC, I was committed to finding a way to ensure we did NOT build a new school. I was opposed to the tax increase I thought we would face if a new school was proposed. Now, three years later, I am supporting the school projects on this year's ballot. There are several reasons for this:

1. Our buildings are not in great shape. Clark, Wilkins, and AMS are all at least 50 years old. Many of the major elements - HVAC, roofing - are nearing end of life.
2. We have a severe lack of space. This is due to many reasons - reducing class sizes for better student outcomes, enhanced special education programs that require a lot of space, etc. But it leaves us using closets as offices, storing printers in hallways, and having interventionists using communal space for what should be one-on-one educational sessions with students.
3. AMS in particular doesn't meet all state requirements for space allocated for learning. Irregularly shaped classrooms reduce usable space by as much as 30% in some classrooms that are already below standards set by the state department of education.
4. We utilize portable classrooms for Wilkins, which are separated from the main building. These represent more travel time for students for lunch and classes like art or PE, and they aren't as secure as being inside the main building.
5. It is not efficient to operate two elementary schools, particularly for building leaders, shared staffing (maintenance workers), and lunch staff (Clark does not have a kitchen so lunch is driven back and forth to Wilkins each day).
6. If we were to keep our current buildings, the price tag is no less intimidating. We're looking at upwards of $60+ million over the next 20 years, and that is only for upkeep, not upgrades to retrofit our buildings for the current educational needs of our district. Factoring in the varied costs of repairs needed each year, the tax rate is wildly inconsistent when compared to a bonded project that peaks in year two and gradually decreases over the life of the bond.

The care of our buildings has been neglected for far too long in this town, and this project is partly a result of the decisions made (or not made) in the last 20 years. As of two years ago, we had just $22,000 in our long-term building maintenance fund. If that's what you had in a fund to maintain your house, you might not feel comfortable. To have that meager amount for a school is unacceptable.

I encourage you to view the details of the school project on the JFAC website, https://jfac.sau39.org/. This site is the culmination of four-plus years of work and research into this project and our buildings. And be sure to attend our final public forum Monday at 4 p.m. at Wilkins, AMS, or virtually to learn more about the project.

02/28/2022

One of the main reasons I ran for school board in 2019 was what I perceived as an out-of-control school budget. I wasn't alone in those sentiments with the town voting down the proposed budget in March 2019, the year I ran.

Over the last three years, I have been diligent in reviewing each line of the budget, supporting what was necessary, learning more about what was legally required, and fighting to reduce spending for items I thought were excessive. The budget passed voters' muster the first two years of my tenure and I'm hopeful that we make it 3-for-3 on March 8.

I will say that I learned quite a bit about the budgeting process that first year. To put it simply, there is a lot baked into the budget year over year. Every decision we make has to be viewed not only for the proposed year but for what it will mean in the coming years. Very few decisions can be viewed through a single-year lens. This means that year to year, there is only so much wiggle room where you can make an impact. Perhaps it's $10,000 for furniture in this department, or a reduction in the number of computers we replace for this building. Those little decisions can be helpful in keeping spending reasonable each year.

I am confident there is very little in this year's budget that would be deemed discretionary but would encourage you to take a look at it and judge for yourself. You can see this year's proposed budget by viewing the spreadsheet here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1mokKSZgc0A7mAVKud3lNIEJDA8FH0gl1uhAt4KGlf2A/edit =1341445253

I recommend using the xW&M Look-up #1 and #2 tabs, accessible by clicking on the four stacked 'hot dogs' in the bottom left corner of the google document. This allows you to break down each line item by category - Clark-Wilkins, AMS, facilities, technology, etc.

Table of Contents Amherst School District FY23 Budget Workfile File (7/1/2022 - 6/30/2023) Table of Contents Budget Creation Budget Submissions,Worksheet FY23 Responses Direct from Bgt Entry Form,Worksheet Master,Worksheet Recon of Input Sources,Worksheet d,(history file),Worksheet v,(fisc...

02/25/2022

Well, on Candidate's Night hosted by the American Association of University Women's Southern New Hampshire chapter, it's proper that I begin sharing why I'm running for a second term on Amherst School Board. The coming days will feature additional posts on some of the important issues and achievements of the last three years while also focusing on the upcoming challenges facing our town and school district in the future. If you have questions please reach out through this page or via [email protected].

03/13/2019

What a day, and what a night! I am humbled and honored to be elected as a new member of the Amherst School Board. I am incredibly grateful for the support cast by Amherst voters at the polls today, and I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible over the next three years.

I want to congratulate Beth Kuzsma and Ellen Grudzien on their victories while thanking Bob Hinz for filling a crucial role on the board during the tenuous budgeting season.

With the results of tonight’s voting, it is clear that our town is demanding more from the schools. I am ready to work with the board and the administration to meet the demands of academic success, fiscal responsibility, and transparency.

Beginning Monday, I promise to ask questions when there are things I’m not familiar with, stand up and fight against things I don’t agree with, and strive for comprise with the fellow board members to create a great future for our kids.

Thank you.
Tom
P.S. - Please accept this photo until my official school board portrait is painted. May take up to 6 months.
P.P.S - I plan to use this page to some capacity during my term but have to see what I can and can't do.

03/07/2019

THE BUDGET AND PRIORITIES

Our budget has increased nearly 20% in the last four years, including at least 7% when you vote March 12. Our cost-per-pupil is 20-30% (or more) higher than our similar towns. And while cost-per-pupil isn’t a perfect comparison measure, nowhere in our test scores or building quality is such a disparity warranted.

Our administration also hopes you’ll pass Article 14 on March 12 to create two teaching positions to get class sizes closer to their targets.

I support smaller class sizes but I believe you have to get there without simply asking the town for more money, especially when larger expenditures loom on the horizon. If the budget is already lean, then tough decisions have to be made. We need to take our priorities at their literal meaning.

It’s no different than how you budget a home. If the hot-water heater blows, do you still go buy that new TV if you only have cash for one?

03/07/2019

FUTURE OF OUR BUILDINGS

“In four years, we’re going to be paying for a new school.”

I said that to my wife last summer when she got home from a meeting to talk about bussing our kindergarten and/or first grade students to Mont Vernon. We were told we didn’t have the classroom space or teachers to keep our class sizes to a moderate amount (close to the goal of 17 per class).

That issue was eventually solved when the administration found space and made a way to create three teaching positions on staff.

However, a month later, when I got a text to join a committee to talk about the future of our schools, I signed up within minutes. Frankly, I did NOT want to see a $50 million or $60 million (or worse) project during my first year living in Amherst.

The Joint Facilities Committee met for three months and then presented a plan to the board to hire a proper architect/builder to come in and take a look at the schools and our needs, and to explain possible way(s) to remedy our issues. On March 12, you’ll get to vote on this first step in Article 15. (You can check out our research and findings that led to this article here: https://www.sau39.org/cms/lib/NH01912488/Centricity/Domain/545/2018-12-03%20ASD_SCSD_JFC%20Joint%20Meeting%20Agenda%20Packet%20-%20Web.pdf)

This article is important because past administrations for years avoided any long-term thinking on the schools. Sure, they applied a band-aid here ( ) or a cortisone shot there ( ), but they never said let’s operate on this thing and get it right. We are doing that now.

We don’t know what will come out of this study but there will be recommendations. I can assure you – as a Joint Facilities Committee member and a possible school board member – that whatever plans are presented are thoroughly vetted with school goals and, of course, tax-payers in mind. After all, I personally remain uneasy at the prospect of a new school.

03/07/2019

STUDENT GROWTH

“We just aren’t equipped for this to happen yet.”

With our competency-based learning system, our teachers have done a superb job nurturing growth out of struggling students; they are surging way past the expected levels (See page 3 of https://www.sau39.org/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=4347&dataid=8851&FileName=ASD-FY20-Budget-PublicHearing-2019-01-09-ASPRESENTED.pdf).

However, our advanced students are not meeting growth goals, and they are falling behind their peers in other districts. This is a concerning trend.

If the inverse were true – advanced students being pushed harder and struggling students lagging further behind – the reaction would be rightfully apoplectic. This is not acceptable and it needs to be addressed so that every student reaches their maximum academic potential.

But the answer is not in asking for more money. We already outspend similar towns for education. I believe that we need to closely examine our current budget and uncover ways to source the funding from what we already have. This means making tough decisions based on our priorities.

03/07/2019

TEST SCORES

Test scores and grades are important. There, I said it. And I mean it. BUT it’s not the only metric a district should use.

Why I believe test scores are important:

1. It’s a tangible metric to measure the success and growth rate of our students. I do not overlook the importance of other indicators of performance, such as leadership and problem solving skills but those are harder to place a benchmark of achievement behind. Test scores remain the most tangible barometer we have to justify the investment we make in schools, especially compared to other towns with similar socio-economic demographics.

2. People looking to buy a home in a town look at the schools grades through myriad websites, and if you’ve got an 8 or a 9 or a 10 – jackpot! This makes the town more attractive, which makes our homes and schools more valuable.

Again, this is not the only barometer that tells us the strength of our district. But to simply ignore test scores because ‘we don’t grade to the test’ is foolish.

Take a look at our district report card here: https://ireport.education.nh.gov/districts/17/student-achievement

You can also check out Bedford here: https://ireport.education.nh.gov/districts/41/student-achievement

And Hollis here: https://ireport.education.nh.gov/districts/259/student-achievement

03/07/2019

Welcome to the official page for my run for Amherst School Board. My name is Tom Gauthier and I am a two-year resident of this great town along with my wife, Judy, and our two daughters. You may have seen us at Amherst Patriots games, grabbing donuts at Moulton’s, or enjoying summer evenings in the Village.

Since my family moved to this town, we have enjoyed becoming part of the community. In addition to cheering on the Amherst Patriots, I supply the PTA with public relations support for the Annual PTA Production, and I served on the Joint Facilities Committee studying the current state of our school buildings.

30 words or less on my professional background:
I was a minor league baseball radio broadcaster, PR man, and ticket sales guy for almost ten years before moving into fundraising and public relations with the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock (CHaD).

Why I’m running for an ASD School Board seat in 12 words or less:
A fair shake for all students without writing a blank check.

Nailed it.

In the posts below, you will find my beliefs on the issues that drive my run for the school board and I’m eager to hear your thoughts on these same issues. If elected to the board, I will be a reliable steward of our tax-dollars. I also promise to be transparent and informative while engaging with you on the matters we discuss in meetings. I firmly believe that we can't rely on a two-week period in March to fully discuss and understand each other’s viewpoints on the issues.

I hope this page gives you greater insight into my views and I kindly ask for your vote on Tuesday, March 12.