We, the undersigned, appeal to the directors of the Nazareth Area School Board, teachers and administrators of the district, along with state and federal legislators, to do all they can to maintain essential educational programs while keeping in mind the difficulties faced by the taxpayers in these tough financial times.

While taxpayer's are dealing with unemployment, falling or stagnant wages, rising prices, and plunging property values a series of circumstances are conspiring to affect them in even more adverse ways.

They are:

*The end of Federal stimulus monies going to the schools

*Insufficient State funding to cover mandated programs

*NASD pension costs that are increasing

*Four years of union contract raises for educators

*Projected costs of over 20 million dollars for future grounds/building maintenance

*Increased fuel, heating, and power costs for the schools

*Raises for administrators and support staff

*Continuing service of the debt

*Future unexpected costs

We ask everyone to do what they can to help maintain a sustainable education program while respecting an already burdened taxpayer. 

We ask all district employees to consider a freeze on wage increases, something that very many private sector, both union and nonunion employees have had to do to maintain employment.

We encourage the administration and board to continue to search out solutions and places to cut. We ask them to "hold the line" on taxes. We ask them to approach our legislators to enlist their help.

We ask our legislators, regardless of party, to provide relief from mandates that were never fully funded in the past and are even less so now. We remind them that funding and raising taxes at any level of government is still coming out of the taxpayer's pocket or worse yet, from future generations. We demand an end to regulations that prevent local commonsense solutions to our problems.

Please, only residents of the Nazareth Area School District who are 18 or older should sign. Enter your real full name. Anonymous and fake names will not be counted.

One name per line please.

Note: This was originally set up to take the signer to a "Thank You" page but ipetition has sometimes sent the signer to a solicitation page. There is nothing I can do about it but give you this notice. If after signing you get sent to a page asking you to donate to ipetition you can simply hit the back button on your browser and click HERE to get a real thank you.

Thank You.