Letter to the Editor: Funding Pay-to-Play in Difficult Fiscal Times

Dear Jayme,

I have become increasingly disturbed by the divisive nature of the comments written in response to the Pay-to-Play discussion in Tolland.  I wanted to share a letter I wrote to the members of the Board of Education and Town Council earlier this month. While I acknowledge that my fiscal position may not be shared by all citizens of Tolland, I do feel strongly that it is one worth considering. There simply are not enough taxpayer dollars to fund what has traditionally been funded. Would you be willing to post the attached letter on the Patch, possibly with the introduction I just wrote to you?

Sincerely,

Mary Kay Della Camera

Dear Members of the Tolland Board of Education and Town Council;

I write this letter with a two-fold purpose.  First, I would like to applaud you for your efforts during this most painful budget process.  I am pleasantly surprised that our town budget passed in the first referendum, and see this as a testament to your work, dedication to address the issues facing our citizens, and desire to put forth a budget which supports town programs and services within the limitations of its fiscal restraints.

That being said, I am concerned about the divisive nature the budget discussion in Tolland has taken in the last few weeks.  Tax burdens for most Americans have increased dramatically, yet spending continues to skyrocket far beyond the means possible to maintain state programs and special interest projects.  Fiscal realities are ignored and people of all incomes are subject to indebtedness for generations, the likes of which we have never seen.

Up until this year I have witnessed differences of opinion regarding the spending of our town’s limited revenue, mostly within a healthy framework.  You have seen me at Town Council meetings and Board of Education meetings, speaking about programs and services which benefit the citizens of Tolland. Mr. Werbner begins each budget year highlighting the fact that we cannot put forth a budget until we know what our revenues are.  Now that the budget has passed, we have a better sense of where the dollars lie.  The BOE has outlined the Pay-To-Play program funds and how those are spent.  My concern lies with the responsibility of the Town of Tolland the Board of Education regarding the spending of those funds.

I am aware that I am but one opinion.  I am a mother of two beautiful sons, a wife, a private sector employee and a previous employee within the public sector, and a taxpayer.  Each and every day my family and I make choices about how we spend the money we earn.  These choices include funding those activities not financially supported by the Tolland Public Schools. My oldest son availed himself of the Varsity Sport programs at Tolland High school.  His participation came with a fee as well as our choice to enrich his program with private lessons. When my youngest was in fourth grade, instrument lessons were provided in the school.  They were eliminated during his middle school years.  Seven years ago, by choice, we began to pay for weekly lessons for what had become a 2^nd instrument.   Four years later he began a third instrument, and the next year a 4^th.  By choice, we pay for weekly lessons in three of the four instruments (UConn CSA fee: 45 min. lessons $637.50 per semester per instrument).  Contrary to information I have read in various papers and posts, Tolland Schools do not provide instruments to music students.  There are instruments available for use, all student models, for those children who seek early exposure.  If a student chooses to pursue music beyond the limitations of early band, or early chorus, parents pick up the costs, by choice.  Rental fees are set by the area music stores.  Instrument purchase, depending on the instrument, can run several hundred to multiple thousands of dollars – I have the receipts to verify this.  Again, these purchases are all by choice.     

Parents have spoken out regarding the financial burden the Pay-To-Play fees have placed on their families, particularly those with multiple children who play multiple sports.  I am not refuting those costs nor is it my intention to one-up the financial sacrifices and choices each family makes in raising their own children.  I am, however, asking you to keep in mind the mission of the public school system – taken directly from the website:

The Tolland Public Schools will educate and challenge students to achieve their potential by providing a variety of educational experiences which will enable them to be productive citizens in an ever changing society.

In an ideal world revenues support existing programs, and occasionally enhance them.  In our 13 years in Tolland we have witnessed the introduction of programs and seen those, along with many others, eliminated.  Less is available as tax dollars are stretched.  “Contractual obligation” is as overused a term as “shared sacrifice”.  The bulk of Connecticut’s citizenry cannot pull any harder.  We all want our tax dollars to reap the most benefit.  I would ask, as I have before, that you consider targeting those dollars to staff and materials where each and every student in the school, as well as all citizens of Tolland, experiences the most benefit.  My sons have come home with textbooks in Ziploc bags in order to protect from further deterioration.  Their eighth grade year saw a lack of history books resulting in the need for parents to make Xeroxed copies.  We send materials into school that were funded in previous years’ budgets. 

Those parents whose children participate in extracurricular dance, instrumental music or voice, martial arts, drawing, painting, yoga, pilates, archery, fencing, bowling, hockey, swimming, and various other activities I have not mentioned, have all assumed additional costs, by choice.  Each of these activities can be argued to carry value in the “total educational experience”, carry significant financial cost, yet cannot be financially supported in today’s fiscal environment. Our voice may not be as loud as those who have opted to highlight Pay-to-Play concerns, but our burden is no less.  I for one would find it a tremendous financial relief to have the BOE supplement some of the fees we have chosen to assume as part of our budget in order to enrich our children.  Given the limited revenue available from tax dollars, however, we cannot expect those services are given priority over those with direct educational benefit.  Class size, maintenance of existing programs, enhancing the very limited foreign language in the middle school, and the unfunded textbook replacement program, are in my opinion priority areas.

Thank you for allowing me the forum to voice my views.  I am aware that it is not the responsibility of the Town Council to identify the areas in which the BOE spends money, but I wanted to share my thoughts.  Thank you for the opportunity.

Sincerely,

Mary Kay Della Camera

122 Charles Street

Tolland, CT  06084

I received two responses from this letter, both from members of the BOE.   I am aware of the Pay-To-Play figures put forth by Mr. Guzman for consideration by the Board of Education.  I ask that as part of your decision, consideration be given to the causal realities of picking the winners and the losers.  Is the BOE prepared to address the financial commitments for all those families who choose to enrich their child’s education with activities that are not considered ‘athletic’?  

I am aware that my fiscal position may not be shared by all citizens of Tolland, yet I feel strongly that it is one that needs to be heard.  There are many folks who simply do not have the money to pay for the choices made by other families.  We are struggling to manage our own.  Thank you for the opportunity to be heard.