Most citizens have read various reports of the May 27 SAD 9 board meeting at which Superintendent Mike Cormier castigated the newly formed Budget Advisory Committee for MSAD 9 and its informational flier released in mid-May.

Passing out his 9-point list of criticisms, he accused the New Vineyard group of stating incorrect dates for budget status, misinformation and intentionally misleading the public.

OK, the correct date for budget adoption was April 29 not 22, and it still needs to be accepted or rejected by voters on June 10.

He next attacked our $635,000 figure for teachers’ salary increases this year as “being nearly double the $324,325 in the new budget for 2003-2004.”

Actually, by my calculations, both are correct as teachers will have received all of the $635,000 figure that started Sept. 1, 2002 and will begin receiving the first payments of the $324,325 figure on Sept. 1, 2004. So, our teachers get combined increases of $959,325 for the two years between September 2002 and Aug. 31, 2004. That’s a raw average increase for 252 teachers of $3,807.

This does not include their health insurance costs.

Still wondering why SAD 9 has budget bloat?

Just thought taxpayers paying the freight ought to know who’s getting the ride!

Lauris Bailey, New Sharon