At the very poorly advertised SB2 public hearing SB2 hearing on April 23 Selectman Harry Judd slipped and revealed that he planned on bringing up the possibility of a Charter Commission (RSA 197:b and RSA 49 B and 49 D). The Charter Commission is not new to Bow it was used successfully in 2002 to siphon off enough votes from SB2 to prevent SB2 from getting a super majority of votes (60%)… The Charter Commission “straw man scam” was hatched when SB2 got 59% of the vote for School and 58% of the vote for the town in 2001 (60% majority needed).

Since the last SB2 vote, Bow has experienced several more years of soaring property tax bills. Town meetings have repeatedly failed Bow with poor attendance, dominating special interest, chaotic and confusing town meetings. Because of this SB2 is getting a second thorough and favorable look. The fear that the hard strapped Bow Taxpayers are starting to see the light with SB2 has caused that proverbial bag of dirty tricks to come out of the closet.

People should ask why wasn’t the topic of the Charter Commission brought up when SB2 wasn’t on the ballot. The clear answer is that there is no interest in switching to a Town Charter. There is only interest in stopping SB2’s momentum. This is a clear bait and switch ploy saying that there is something better out there and switching it back so that we end up with the same failed status quo. This is exactly what happened in 2002. What is that old saying? If you fool us once, shame on you. If you fool us twice, shame on us.

One must wonder: What if the slippery slope of putting up competing “straw man like” warrant articles at town meeting, became the norm? The likelihood of articles like SB2 (bond articles) that requires super majorities will become very difficult if not impossible to pass. Is that a path Bow wants to go down? Bow should demand that the bag of dirty tricks be thrown in the trash heap.

SB2 is very popular and effective in many towns the size of Bow through out NH. In fact when given the choice to go back to the Town/School Meeting form of government there isn’t a single town with a population anywhere near Bow’s who has decided to go back to the inferior Town/School Meeting form of government. In fact this year a town near Bow voted almost 3 to 1 to keep SB2 and that tells you something. It is guaranteed during SB2 debate you will hear the scare tactics against SB2. So keep in mind that SB2 always gives you the option to go back to what we have now if we choose to. The real question is why wouldn’t Bow try SB2? What do we have to lose except maybe sky high tax bills.

SB Comparison Sheet

This list should be updated frequently in order to be effective. It is critical that the general public bring any potential conflict of interest to our attention as soon as possible.

Possible Conflicts of Interest

Fact: There is no preference given to IB candidates during the college admission process. College admissions view the candidate in relationship to their high school curriculum. Admission officers want to see the student taking the most competitive courses available whether that is AP courses or IB courses. Colleges do not break out acceptance rates for IB candidates. The information provided on slide 18 in John House-Myers IB PowerPoint presentation dated November 1, 2007 is not accurate. Mr. House-Myers or his staff cannot provide documentation to justify their numbers.

Slide 18 from John House-Myers November 1, 2007 presentation.

Sample University Acceptance Rates for IB Students:

School – All Applicants – IB Diploma Applicants

New York University – 29% – 76%
Cornell University – 27% – 70%
Dartmouth – 23% – 60%
Tufts – 23% – 52%
MIT – 17% – 26%
Air Force Academy – 12% – 68%
Naval Academy – 12% – 45%
Princeton – 11% – 14%
John Hopkins – 33% – 83%

The following information was received directly from the admissions offices.

Assistant Director of Admissions
Dartmouth College

These numbers don’t seem right at all. Last year our admit rate was 15-16% overall (it will be lower this year), and I have never seen statistics on our admit rate of IB vs. non-IB students – this includes in confidential reports that are only seen by Admissions Office staff. We don’t even track whether or not students are IB Diploma candidates in our database. What I can tell you about our process is this: we review files holistically, which means that we evaluate each student within their own context. In regards to academic rigor, we are looking to see how students have utilized the opportunities available to them in their schools and communities. If your high school offers no AP classes, you will not be disadvantaged in our process because you haven’t taken any. If your high school offers 25 AP classes and you haven’t taken any, then chances are very good that you are not a competitive candidate for Dartmouth. I hope this is helpful, and please feel free to email or call me if you would like to chat about this further.

Source: IB Board Presentation 11-2007

Fact: The Bow school enrollment has not fluctuated over the last 5 years, in fact, it isn’t even flattening out. For the last 5 years Bow school enrollment has decreased significantly and projected to continue to decrease using the numbers provided by the Bow School District.

Please see Enrollment vs Staff Numbers

Flyer on Enrollment from 2002