Petition For Funding For Bookmobile

[Henry]

From: joanne saunders <jojo_saunders@hotmail.com>
To: <vtgrandpa@yahoo.com>
Subject: Franklin Grand Isle Bookmobile visits for Fairfax and Fletcher


Hello,

I was told to send you an email stating that there are petitions available for members of Fairfax who are interested in signing to help support the Bookmobile's funding so we can visit Fairfax on a monthly basis once again.  The Petitions are located at Minors, J & L Hardware, Steeple Market and the Community Library.  If anyone has any questions at all they are asked to contact the Bookmobile the number is 802-868-5077 and the hours are Monday through Friday.  Thank you so much for your help.

Sincerely,

joanne Saunders
Bookmobile Assistant

[fletchtb]

Is it possible for the text from the petition to be posted here for people to review?

I am on both the Fletcher School Board and the Franklin West Supervisory Union Board and the following is my opinion and not the opinion of either board.
At our last FWSU board meeting, the superintendent brought a request from the people that run the Bookmobile asking for funds from the SU to replace money no longer available from a particular grant. In exchange for the funding, the Bookmobile would visit each community x number of times based on the size of the town and how much they contributed. My sense is that the FWSU board members did not want to increase the budget for all schools in the district for something that wasn't directly related to the students in the district. We agreed that each individual school board could discuss the topic at their own board meetings and make a decision on what was best for their town.

I believe bookmobile funding was an agenda item at each of the FWSU member's next school board meeting. In Fletcher, we voted against it. My wife runs a daycare out of the home and we both felt that this was not a good use of taxpayer dollars in our town. I believe the Bookmobile said they would come to Fletcher 10 times a year. In the past they just parked at the school parking lot and were available to those who drove to the school to take advantage of the service. This service is intended to be geared towards daycare providers in the area. In reality it is quite difficult bundle up all the kids at the daycare, load them into a vehicle and transport them to the school for an hour. We would not have been frequent users of the service (and we are one of the closest daycares to the Fletcher Elementary School). In talking to some of the other providers in town, we got similar feedback (that it would likely go unused). With this feedback, I voted against promising funds from the school budget for this request.

We keep lots of books in our daycare for the kids to read or be read to. My wife pays for a membership to the Fairfax Library and regularly reserves books via their website and picks them up at a convenient time. This brings a variety of new books into the program for kids to enjoy. I also know the Fairfax Library has reading hours for children in town, where the librarian or another volunteer will read to those who come at the appointed time (which would be the same as driving to the Bookmobile). For these reasons, I don’t see the Bookmobile as a good use of Town or School budget dollars.

What are your thoughts?

Thanks,
Todd Baumeister

[Sue W.]

I agree with you. 

[lena6]

I agree with you.

[Henry]

Thanks Todd, I agree with you also.  Hopefully everyone realizes that I was asked to post this because the individual was unable to post it herself.

[kevin]

I think the bookmobile is a good service to the town.  Perhaps coordinating with the people who operate the bookmobile would allow it to visit day care centers instead of just parking at the school.  I don't remember the exact wording of the petition but I think the amount needed was about $5200.

[Rev. Elizabeth]

Would it be possible to hear from the person who requested the posting so that exactly how the bookmobile operates or would operate could be explained to the community?

[nhibbard]

5200 is a lot if you consider the additional materials the library could purchase for that amount.