Finance Bd Hears Strong Support For School Spending

By Jan Howard

Board of Finance members heard a strong message from parents during its public hearing Wednesday night. The message, expressed by many speakers, was not to make further cuts to what was described as a “lean, conservative school budget.”

Speakers said any further reductions in the increase sought by the school system would affect teacher to student ratios in the classroom and reduce the quality of education.

Approximately 200 people crowded into the Middle School auditorium to comment upon the combined town and school budget of $85,180,247 for the 2004-05 fiscal year. The budget represents a 6.8 percent increase over that of the current year. If approved, it would increase the tax rate by 1.9 mills, from 23.4 to 25.3 mills.

Under the budget as currently presented, a house assessed at $260,000 would pay an additional $494 in taxes.

The Board of Finance is to discuss the total budget again on Monday, March 8, at 7:30 pm, at the Reed School. It was to discuss the town side of the budget yesterday (Thursday) after press time.

Parents contended there is no “fat” in the school budget and any additional cuts would impact on school services.

Requests to send the budget forward as presented and to let taxpayers decide was a common theme. No speakers raised a concern that the budget was too high.

One after another, parents, some wearing large “Vote Yes for Education” buttons, and some teachers and students made their way to microphones to request that further cuts not be made to the budget or, in some cases, that funds be added.

“We go through this dance every year,” resident Ted Ruddock said. “We need to change the dynamics.” To offset residential development growth, he noted, “The town needs a nonresidential tax base to sustain excellence in this town.” Other speakers during the evening agreed the town should seek alternatives to residential taxes to increase revenue for the town.

Mr Ruddock said the budget as presented “doesn’t support a school system of excellence.” He urged the board members to “maintain what we have.”

Virginia Erikson said her family moved to Newtown because of the school system. “I’m concerned about the trend,” she said. “I want the schools to stay as good as they are.” She said reductions to advanced placement and enrichment courses are “selling off our children’s future.”

Comments from the public followed brief presentations by First Selectman Herb Rosenthal and Superintendent of Schools Dr Evan Pitkoff.

Mr Rosenthal explained that the town side of the budget increased about two percent each year for the last five years and that the current year’s budget was a 4.2 percent decrease from the prior year.

The proposed general government budget’s 5.9 percent increase is comprised mostly of three accounts, he said: debt service, $676,000 (2.3 percent); Fairfield Hills, $250,000 (0.8 percent); and employee benefits, health insurance, and pension, $338,000 (1.1 percent). The remainder of the budget increase of 1.7 percent covers public safety, public works, administration, recreation, and employee salaries, which have increased an average 3.5 percent.

He said the selectmen pared agency requests and other items that represented an increase of almost 14 percent by almost $2.4 million to reach the budget of $31,811,790.

“Once again state revenue is down,” he said, as well as some town revenues. He said Finance Director Ben Spragg is projecting a decrease of $1.1 million in selectmen’s revenues and $250,000 in Board of Education revenue for a total of $1,348,215, a loss equivalent to half a mill.

He urged residents to contact their state legislators to continue an increase in the conveyance tax that is scheduled to expire on June 30. The tax resulted in an increase of $425,000 in the town’s conveyance tax revenues since it was instituted in March 2003.

Growing Educational Expenses

Dr Pitkoff discussed his budget increase of $3,661,310 or 7.37 percent in three parts: without growth related expenses, 4.72 percent or $2,346,434; growth related expenses related to 106 additional students projected for the upcoming school year, $1,037,621 or 2.09 percent; and requests not directly related to growth, including a teacher for special education services to replace a high school tutor, two half-time positions for the gifted program, high school and middle school expansion and architectural reviews, and building and site improvements, $277,255 or 0.56 percent.

The total budget of $53,368,457, he said, “doesn’t move us forward.”

Assistant Superintendent Alice Jackson addressed class sizes and their effect on the quality of education. In regard to writing assignments, she noted, each paper takes at least 15 minutes to grade. When classes are larger, it adds considerably to the workload of the teacher, she said, which might result in fewer papers being required and reduce the quality of education.

She described a typical elementary level class of 22 children, which would include 13 normal learners and children with special needs, such as one health impaired, one learning disabled, one attention deficit disorder, two slow learners, one who needs emotional support, and three gifted and talented.

“These kind of classes challenge teachers,” Ms Jackson said. The larger the classes, the more “frazzled” the teachers become, she said.

Teacher Tisha McCoy extended an invitation to residents to experience a class as described by Ms Jackson. “I want you to know what a challenge it is to meet all students’ needs.”

Though Mr Rosenthal fielded a couple of questions regarding the town side of the budget, most comments were directed to the school budget, including calls to voters to turn out to support the budget on April 27 to avoid adverse effects on the school system.

Parents pointed to programs lost and changes within the school system in the current year’s budget, such as fourth grade orchestra, pay-for-play, oversized classrooms, and the three-tier busing schedule.

Other parents pointed to the town’s standing as 139th in per-pupil spending in the state.