Reading Pride Introduction

Welcome to the Reading Pride web site. We are a group of residents who support an operating override for the Town of Reading Massachusetts.

On April 8th, when we are faced with an override vote to keep our town financially sound, Reading will decide what kind of a community we are and what type of community we want in the immediate future.

We know you believe Reading is a community that has vision and is willing to provide safety, services and education to our entire population - the young, the elderly, the rich and the poor.

The time is now for us to pass Question 1 to give our town government the necessary funds to pay for our essential services.

For the past three years, bit by bit, the Town of Reading has eliminated most of our discretionary services to live within the constraints of Proposition 2 ¹/₂. We have eliminated all capital improvement programs and spent virtually all of our reserves. Because of this history, if the override fails, the budget cuts required to balance the budget for fiscal year 2004 would come directly from our most vital core services. Once we make this devastating level of cuts, it will take years to recover. We would move our community in the wrong direction and dramatically change the face of Reading.

If Question 1 does not pass Reading will be forced to make significant cuts next year. Among them:

• Eliminate fire fighter and police officer positions
• Remove the ladder truck from service
• Forfeit our right to mutual aid for fire and ambulance service from neighboring towns
• Decertify the library
• Slash road maintenance
• Layoff up to 59 teachers and 11 educational assistants (60 FTEs)
• Crowd up to 40 students into a class
• Eliminate Middle School Language program

We are sure you agree that we cannot let this happen to our community - our town of Reading. That is why we need your support to ensure a Yes Vote on April 8th.

Members of Building Pride, PEP for Schools, and the community have come together to form Reading Pride. We are set to roll out an ambitious public education campaign to educate voters through outreach to the media, town wide mailings, and hundreds of lawn signs.

Already the naysayers have organized to stop the override. The "usual suspects," as always, have not offered any solutions to the problems we face as a community. This group is willing to accept an ambulance that is not always available, class size of 30 to 40 kids, and a police force and fire department unable to meets the needs of the current national situation. "No", by itself, is not a solution!

Support for a strong and forward-looking Reading is building. The positive votes on the schools last month and the final go ahead for the redevelopment of the landfill has our community pointed in the right direction.

Please help make our community, the Town of Reading, a source of pride for all of us.