David Dukler's Comments Before His YES! Vote on 12/16/09

I want to first thank my colleagues, the SOS and her staff, and the public for all the work that we have done collectively over the past years and especially the past few months that has brought us to this day.

I am in support of bringing this vote to the public so they can exercise their democratic right to vote and make decisions regarding their lives and the life of their community.

In my years on the board, I cannot recall a time when making a decision has both been so necessary and so disquieting. When we started on this path, little did I expect that we would be in the economic situation we are in currently. But here we are.

Over the course of the development of this project, I have mirrored many of the sentiments expressed here tonight by community members and those I have encountered elsewhere. I was originally in favor of a project on South Putt Corners in proximity to the high school. Our work at the time resulted in an outpouring of public sentiment for retaining the in-town site. OK, I said, not my first choice but the community has spoken. Move on. We then were presented with options by our architectural firm. After I picked my jaw off the floor when I heard the price tag, I took a deep breath and educated myself about what was behind those numbers. I went beyond my initial shock to understand our needs, our options, and the price of inaction.

In my role as a member of the board, it was my job to look hard at all points of view, to understand whenever I had questions, to put aside by own personal prejudices, and, as Patrick says, to get the view from 10,000 feet. What I saw first was an educational need that had existed for many years and that had not been dealt with in a meaningful way. I felt that it was our time to step into the arena and have the integrity to act. Next I saw a community caught between its support for education and its concern for those who are stressed and strained by both the present economic crisis and an outmoded and highly problematic state system of education funding.

As best as we can tell, putting this off for another day will eventually wind up being more expensive and probably no more popular than it is now. From a financial perspective, there will be no better time to undertake this project. It will NEVER be less expensive. I believe this is the time to act. The Board will also be undertaking additional actions to address the financial concerns of citizens and to continue to lower the costs to taxpayers. We have already lowered the scope of the project. If achieved, such actions will result in a lower final cost. The amount we are authorizing today does not mean we have to use it all. At another time, I will speak to what additional actions we can take on behalf of the taxpayers of this district.

However this vote turns out, to build or not, we will only be able to confront the challenges ahead if we do it together in a respectful and collegial PROBLEM SOLVING manner. Or we can degenerate into finger pointing, enemy-making and blame seeking. I believe that choice is ours.

David Dukler
Gardiner