Prop 2 1/2

And on the local level folk are struggling to define what kind of government they want and how they are going to pay for it. Check out this series of Letters to the Editor from Holbrook residents, followed by a very thoughtful clarifying comment. (When is the last time you read one of those?) .

The Missing Gems

Holbrook - To the Editor:

Although I am a senior citizen (being 85 years old does qualify me), I am writing as a citizen of Holbrook.

Cuts have to be made in the town’s budget and we must live with cuts. The override was turned down and we now have to live accordingly, but share the cuts across the board. Do not put the burden on one group.

We are in the process of losing two gems in this town.

First and foremost, there is the Holbrook Public Library, whose budget will be cut dramatically. The library is an incredible part of the wealth of our town. Toddlers get a taste at three years and younger of good books. Continue on and the entire library nurtures students of all ages. There are, of course, books, magazines, periodicals, DVDs, computers, and on and on.

The Patriot Ledger Weekend Edition headline-- School Buses are Budget Busters

What to do? Well some folks are trying to make do by working together across districts and amending Prop 2 1/2.

A bill in the House would create a commission to study changes in state reimbursements to cities and towns for busing. And a bill in the Senate seeks to reimburse districts “for any extraordinary price increases” over the amount budgeted for school transportation.

Meanwhile, groups like the Dedham-based Massachusetts Organization of Educational Collaboratives are bringing districts together to figure out ways to save money on out-of-district transportation, like combining routes. This year it added the Rockland-based North River Collaborative to its pool. It wants to go statewide next year.

Johnson, the First Student executive, said that as costs have risen, districts have been trying to find ways – like staggering elementary, middle and high school pick-up times – to get more students to school without adding buses.

Individual and corporate charity funds public education in Salem. What do you think of this quote in the Globe story? What would you say if you were in Mary Manning's shoes?

Mary Manning, principal of Collins Middle School, said she hoped more donations would come through so she could retain some of the seven teachers she will have to let go next Friday.