The entry is cross-posted at www.manchesterdemocrats.blogspot.com
The Democratic Directors recently released their February resolutions, which will be heard and considered by the entire Board of Directors later next month. There are four (4) resolutions in total; addressing the Bennet Leisure Center, hiring a library consultant, filming and broadcasting the Directors’ budget workshops and the institution of all-day kindergarten at all 10 elementary schools.
The Bennet Leisure Center resolution calls for the full implementation of the town’s recent proposal for after-school and weekend programing once the facility comes back on line later this fall. It is a comprehensive plan that will provide a variety of activities to provide creative outlets for Manchester’s youth.
During the last election, the Democratic candidates for the Board of Directors made Mary Cheney Library a chief issue in that the demand for – and success of – the programs offered has forced town staff to consider other space alternatives simply due to the existing size limitations of the structure. The Democratic Directors’ resolutions calls for the town to release an RFP (request for proposal) or RFQ (request for quotation) to hire a consultant to study future space needs and whether the existing facility is capable of supporting same.
As past budget workshops have not been documented to any great extent, the Democratic Directors believe that transparency is critical and have thus submitted a resolution that calls for the videotaping of all workshop sessions and subsequent broadcasting on Channel 16, Silk City Television.
The most ambitious resolution in the recent set of submissions is the request to institute all-day kindergarten in all 10 elementary schools prior to the state of the ‘09-’10 school year. Countless studies have demonstrated that young students who attend all-day kindergarten have more advanced social skills, fully-developed independent study skills and are better prepared for academic success later in their academic careers. The resolution calls for the Board of Directors to provide “all necessary funding” to assist the Board of Education in ensuring that that this goal is accomplished.
