Why was North Reading United for Education (NRUE) formed?
North Reading United for Education (NRUE) was formed last year by a group of citizens concerned about maintaining educational quality in North Reading Public Schools for the long term. In FY2008 (the 2007-2008) school year, North Reading leaders and Town Meeting approved a budget that relied on passage of a Proposition 2 override to provide a complete quality education in North Reading. When that override failed, many programs were cut and class sizes increased. The school week was cut to 4.5 days for Grades K-8, and programs for high school students were curtailed while class sizes ballooned. The citizens who formed NRUE felt that public school students in North Reading shouldn’t bear the brunt of tight economic times. Instead, town leaders and voters need to support budgets that make the most of our town’s limited resources and impact all groups and departments in town equitably.
