Please come to a working meeting at The Miller Center in the New North End on Wednesday, May 14 from 6-9 pm. The Burlington Friends of Education will have a short presentation on the budget and the rest of the time will be devoted to sign making, leaflet bagging, and other tasks in support of our “Vote Yes” campaign.

We have a lot of work to do to help spread the word about the many successes of the district, what the new board is doing to meet the leadership and fiscal challenges head on, and to help avoid another round of painful cuts — roughly $800,000 – if the budget is defeated. And, if the budget is defeated our taxes will STILL go UP because the state is poised to raise the statewide tax rate by as much as 6 percent!

This past week, we've been encouraged by strong turnout of YES voters across the city - from Ward 6 to Ward 4. People are angry, but they also are beginning to realize that a NO vote would be an incredible setback for our schools.

The hope is that folks can find one hour or more during the May 14th meeting to come out and help. Feel free to bring a friend, a neighbor, or a loved one. Kids are welcome as many many hands make for light labor. Even if you only have a short amount of time, that’s fine — you can simply swing through, grab a lawn sign and a leaflet route.

Find out more about Burlington Friends of Education at www.bfoe.org, where you can donate, find ways to help, find answers to frequently asked questions about the budget, and more.

The new Board’s work in the last month is a down payment of good faith that they are ushering in a new era in the district and we, as voters, should give them a chance to continue their work without the distraction of making additional, painful cuts to core programs and initiatives.

We have a lot of work to do in the next few weeks to get a budget passed, and then even more work in the coming months to get our district back on track.