This past Monday I attended the annual school budget and warrant meeting here in Keene, NH. (My first) In this meeting the various articles up for vote, including the budget, were available for discussion, debate and possible amendment by the attendees. Most of the evening was spent on Article 1: the proposed 2013/14 budget and most of the proposed amendments were focused on increasing the new year’s budget, but there were a few dissidents within the crowd who voiced some opposition. I, myself, proposed a 10% reduction in next year’s school budget. After all, the private sector has been forced to make radical changes in these lean years. Why not government as well?
My proposal was soundly defeated but I walked away with some valuable insight on how the machine functions . With another dozen liberty loving individuals in attendance, we probably could have proposed an amendment to reduce the budget to equal last year’s spending. With 40 or more, we could have reduced the budget by 2-5%. With 80, we could have reduced the budget by 10% (or 6.3 million dollars.) If you have any doubts, look to the current success story in Grafton, NH.
Please note that every motion to increase the budget was also defeated. If it were not for the small handful of free staters in attendance, the budget would have most likely increased by another $170,000.
