Please Support South Windsor Board of Education Budget

Please join me at this Monday’s Town Council Meeting at the Town Hall which begins at 7:00PM to show your support for the Board of Education Budget – for those interested there will be an opportunity to speak directly to the council at a Public Hearing on the BOE Budget at 8:00PM.

While I am disappointed that the Republican majority on the Town Council have recently shared their plan or intention to cut the BOE budget request by $1.3 million dollars, I still have hope that some of them might be willing to substantially lower this amount.

Please understand that the requested 5.97% budget increase is almost 100% related to increased enrollment, contractual obligations, and “just keeping the lights on” – no additional programs or important academic rigor.

While I certainly understand the council’s interest in lowering spending and keeping tax increases as low as possible, I hope both the council and the public all understand the serious short and long term effect of deferring much needed staff, programs, equipment and repairs. Just “kicking the can down the road” will lead to higher than necessary spending and spikes in tax rates in the future.

While there are different ways the board might respond to any cuts to our requested budget, given our unique position as one of the fastest growing school districts in the state, none of these options are without serious effects or damage to both our good fiscal management and necessary staff and programs.

To get some perspective, I asked the town manager, how the taxes paid by a family with a home assessed at $350,000 would be affected by the Republican’s planned $1.3 million reduction to the BOE’s proposed budget.

When considered what will need to be cut, and its effect for next year and future years, the public might be surprised to learn that this family’s taxes would only be reduced by approximately $130 per year – or by about 36 cents per day.

The important work being done in our schools each day, happens because of our talented and hard-working staff, our outstanding students, and our very important and appreciated financial support. I am happy to live in a town that has a long history of supporting its school system.