by Sarah Stone
To the Editor,
I am writing today to advocate that our town and district leadership fight for a 9% increase in the Manchester Essex Regional School District’s FY26 budget. As a Manchester resident, a mother, an educator, and a citizen who believes that our society rests on the foundation of a strong public school system, we have no choice but to pass an override and level fund our schools. I am willing to do the work it takes to appeal to my neighbors, and I trust my elected officials plan to do the same.
The proposed cuts paint a bleak picture for MERSD. Our public schools are the cornerstone of our community and our future. With an uncertain national political landscape and federal grants not being guaranteed to offset budget shortfalls, we MUST wrap our arms around our own community of Manchester and Essex and do everything in our power to support the educators who are preparing our children for an increasingly complex world. Our middle school needs a principal. Our middle and high school deserve a full-time librarian. Our high school students deserve a competitive and diverse course selection. Lastly, our class sizes need to be lowered (my second grader is in a class of 25), not increased.
For the last several years, every February, I have found myself pleading for our elected leaders to support a level funded budget put forth by our superintendent. This year, as a public educator myself, I am admittedly a bit more exhausted and frustrated that this sort of begging and persuading must be replayed year after year.
If Manchester and Essex cannot prioritize the education of our children, make the necessary sacrifices, think creatively, and meet the basic needs of our schools, then I question our collective core values. I want to believe that we are committed to the greater good and that we value our children and their future above all else.
I trust I am right.
Sarah Stone
Manchester
