SOS files with State

SOS has officially filed with the Board of Elections as a Ballot Advocate. If you would like to support our campaign efforts, SOS will be accepting donations through PayPal. These monies will be used 100% for ballot advocacy to include flyers and advertisements. Your help will assist us in getting information to Portsmouth voters. Thanks!

Election Set for October 5th!

The Referendum Election has been set for October 5th. This date will allow for absentee ballots to be available from September 15th until October 4th. I want to thank Madeleine Pencak and everyone in the Canvassers Office for all their hard work. And, I want to thank Kathy Viera-Beaudoin and the Clerk's office for their assistance. Both these departments were incredibly supportive.

Students should visit the Canvassers Office before they head-out for school and sign-up to receive an absentee ballot. Emergency ballots will also be available up to the election.

Referendum Petition Signatures top 2,000

On Tuesday morning we will present over 2,000 signatures to the Town Clerk supporting our referendum petition to provide our schools with an increase of $765,301. The Clerk will formally accept the signature pages on behalf of the Town and the Canvassers Office will have two weeks to certify 1,294 of these signatures (the required minimum). Once certified, the Clerk shall call an all-day election on a Tuesday no less than 35 days or more than 45 days from certification. This would mean the earliest scheduled election would be September 28th or more probable October 4th.

Thanks goes to all the canvassers who assisted at the successful Sign & Drive and Transfer Station, walked neighborhoods, and brought petitions to friends and family. We had over forty volunteers who I simply can't thank enough! I want to personnally thank John McDaid, Jim Seveney, Dennis Canario, and Len Katzman for their leadership and support during the campaign. These gentlemen deserve a great deal of credit for our success. And, of course, thank you to everyone who took time out to sign!

In the weeks ahead you will hear a positive campaign about the value our system delivers daily for our kids and the Portsmouth community. We will speak of the investment in core educational services and what that means for the average taxpayer. We listened to all residents these past 10 days and we will build an information campaign to best educate the voters by October 4th.

RESULTS TO BE ANNOUNCED MONDAY

Referendum petition results will be announced on Monday. I want to thank all the volunteers who have been on the pavement this past week. We are counting twice and reviewing the forms this evening. Stay tuned...

Where to find us Saturday

The petition will be at the Transfer Station from 7:30, Sandy Point Beach from 9:00, we will be in the Elmtree area and Island Park after 4:00. Thank you Portsmouth for your support!

400 to GO!!

I passionately believe we are building our future, building an open and supportive educational environment for Portsmouth. This referendum will put the negative in our rear view mirror, and put an end to the attacks on our system. Am I naive? Together we can change the debate putting the PCC, the Tea Tottlers, and those who wish to paint us broadly into the background. How? We stand together. We take one positive step at a time. We speak openly. We engage the very silent majority. We honestly can do this, if we do it together. Join me in making this referendum the first positive step.

Thank you, I am proud to supPORT SCHOOLS!

500 to GO!!!

We are well on our way!!! Thank you everyone who is volunteering and everyone who is signing! This is the hardest 500 signatures, the last 1/3. Let's really step up our game and bring this referendum successfully home. We will be up at the High School this afternoon from 4-7, at the Transfer Station from 7:00 tomorrow morning, at Sandy Point Beach from about 8:30 tomorrow, and in your neighborhood! Lets double our effort!

This morning someone from the schools came out to thank me for all our efforts. He expressed how much they all care about the kids in our schools and how they have not sought raises. He reiterated what I know very well, the schools simply do not have extra anything. I, too, thanked him and expressed what I believe we all feel - Portsmouth has the best administrators, teachers and staff. It is an honor to support this group!

NDN Letter to Editor (Friday)

I want to first thank the Newport Daily News for its extensive coverage of our referendum drive. Newport Daily News is our community paper, binding our residents through knowledge of local events. The more facts we know the stronger we are-Thank You to Jim Johnson and NDN!

We are at the mid-way point of our campaign and a little more than half-way to reaching our goal of 1,500 signatures. I want to thank all the volunteers who have been canvassing neighborhoods and standing at sporting fields - they are the unsung heroes for our schools. I also want to thank the residents who have signed the petition for their support. As we come to our final turn, I wanted to put forth some truths as simply as I can. The Referendum requests the schools receive 1.5% more than last year. This is below inflation and represents a “bare-bones” budget for the Schools. There are no salary increases for our teachers other than the mandated step increases in the first ten years. Concessions have been made by the teachers in the past and will be made in the future. Do you know Portsmouth per pupil expense is $11,500 and ranks 34th of 36 Districts. This includes all salary, benefits and operational expenses. This compares to over $15,000 in Middletown and $18,000 in Newport. The referendum seeks to counter the Town Council’s cut of $1.1 million from the School Committee’s budget; that amount is less in a total dollar amount than this year. The Schools cannot run on that budget, so we have a choice. We can have a referendum were everyone in the Town can vote (up or down) at a cost of $15,000; or, we can spend as a Town $300,000+ on studies, reports, and legal fees on the second Caruolo law suit in five years. We implore you to support the referendum as the best and least expensive alternative.

You can follow the petition drive at www.sosportsmouth.com. We will be at the High School Friday night from 4-7, or until you have had a chance to sign. Come down and supPORT SCHOOLS.

David D. Croston

600+ is simply not enough

OK, let me change tone... I am quite frankly disappointed to not be further allong in our goal. Core constituants simply aren't in the game. Student's are not engaged. What will it take? Is coming 100 signatures short on the 11th (our 14th day) the ultimate wake-up call? We have volunteers spending days, multiple hours, gathering signatures; can I ask our supporters to give us 15 minutes? This is the bottom-line question, and it is up to you. This Thursday and Friday, Sign & Drive, Portsmouth High School from 6-9am and 4-7pm. We need you to swing by and give us your support - we need it!!!!

If you have questions, please email me at david@sosportsmouth.com.

Thank You

HONK FOR EDUCATION

Thank you to everyone who came out for the rally! We had good coverage from Newport Daily News and Portsmouth Patch (www.portsmouth.patch.com) so look for the headlines. We actually received a fair number of signatures as well. Thank you to the candidates for Town Council: Canario, Katzman, Seveney, Honnen, and Cortvriend; and, school committee: McDaid for their support.

Jim Seveney email - Thank You Jim!

To all of you (over 150) folks who emailed me with your concerns about our schools... The petition effort to collect the 1,400 signatures we need to hold a referendum is well underway. I don't have to tell you how critical it is to restore the funding cut by the council. So if you haven't signed the petition yet, please take advantage of one of several opportunities over this week:

• School support rally, Tuesday 8/3 starting at 4:30pm, at the corner of Turnpike and East Main (in front of BankNewport),
  
• Portsmouth High School, Thurs 8/5 & Fri 8/6, from 6-9am & 4-7pm... just drive up, sign, and drive off.

And when you come, please bring some friends with you.

If these times don't work for you, let me know and we'll find another way to get to you. Every voice, every signature... and every vote... is key to shaping our own future. It's all on us.

I thank all of you once again for your calls, emails, letters, and your presence at the budget meetings... now we need to push all the harder to get this question to a town-wide ballot.

I apologize if you have received this information previously... we just want to be sure that everyone gets the word in time to participate. If you wish, please feel free to forward this email on to anyone you think is interested in supporting the effort.

Best regards,
Jim Seveney

Where to find the Petition??

Thank You everyone, we are on our way WITH A LONG WAY TO GO! Monday at 5:00 petition volunteers will be at Seveney Field. Tuesday come down and join our rally at Turnpike & East Main (at BankNewport & Clements). And, our Sign & Drive campaign begins Thursday morning at 6:00 - Thursday and Friday 6-9 am and 4-7 pm at the High School.

I spent the weekend canvassing two neighborhoods and enjoyed meeting fellow neighbors. Two of three households were supportive. I could write a book on my weekend experiences... eight kids playing baseball in the front yard and "NO"; well who is going to educate your kids? "I'm sending my kids to private schools!" Do you care about the value of your home? And, far too many too busy gardening, flipping pancakes, painting... to even take the time to sign. We as a society are changing and placing walls around ourselves. Join me in fighting to keep Portsmouth a community!