Our friend Wanda Visnick, the school nurse for Rockport Public Schools, sent the following from the Massachusetts School Nurse Organziation, MSNO:

Tuesday – November 2nd is Election Day

Now is the Time – Spread the Word to VOTE NO to Ballot Questions #1 and #3!

Help us Spread the Word This Week
To your colleagues, family, and friends

MSNO asks that you consider the reasons to oppose the repeal of the
Alcohol Tax – Question #1
BUDGET FY 11 funds ESHS from Alcohol Tax money!!

4590-0250 for school health services is budgeted in FY 11 under the
Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Fund which is funded from the
revenue generated by the Alcohol Tax.

FAST FACTS

· Alcohol Tax is dedicated to funding public health services and
programs for behavioral health prevention and treatment

· Alcohol Tax is dedicated to fund the DPH’s Essential School
Health Services Program

· Alcohol is not a necessity therefore does not deserve a special
tax exemption.

· Alcohol Tax is an effective way to deter underage drinking.

Alcohol is not a necessity and does not deserve a special tax exemption.
The only goods in exempt from the sales tax are necessities like food,
clothing, and prescriptions.

Revenues from the alcohol tax – over $100 million per year – provide
dedicated funding for healthcare services for more than 100,000 residents
with behavioral health needs. Massachusetts has some of the highest rates
of alcohol and drug abuse in the country. The alcohol tax saves lives by
reducing teen drinking and funding treatment services to help people beat
addictions and getting their lives back on track.

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MSNO asks that you consider the reasons to oppose the Slashing the Sales

Tax – Question #3

The Sales Tax Initiative would slash revenues by $2.5 billion a year on
top of the billions in cuts already made during this recession. How much
is $2.5billion? It equals one-half of all state spending on our 1,900
public schools. Or, looking at it another way, it is equal to two and a
half times as much as the state spends each year on all our community
colleges and state universities.

FAST FACTS

· Health Care – More cuts will hurt already struggling community
hospitals, school nursing services, public health initiatives and
community health centers.

· Public Education – Our public schools and colleges would have to
absorb a huge share of the cuts. There would be massive layoffs, bigger
class sizes, disruption of programs and a decline in the quality of
education in our schools and colleges.

· Quality of Life – Local aid to cities and towns would be
slashed, affecting public safety, parks and recreation, senior services,
libraries, road repair and so much more.

· Economy – By causing the sudden layoff of so many teachers,
firefighters, plice officers, social workers and others while we are still
coping with a recession, a cut of this size could halt – or even reverse –
the state’s economic recovery.

· Property Taxes – Cities and towns would be forced to raise
property taxes and seek overrides simply to maintain basic services.

Rolling back the state sales tax from 6.25% to 3% would cost the Commonwealth more than $2.5 billion every year, decimating funding for
public health and human services. We all want good public health, schools, police and fire protection, safe roads and bridges, clean water, and quality health care. Cutting the sales
tax, by more than half, would deprive our communities of the revenue to pay for them.

THANK YOU for supporting MSNO-
the leaders for School Nursing!

Mimi Stamer
President

Voice, Vision, and Visibility – Advancing School Health Services in Massachusetts