The 800-Pound Gorilla

To the Editor:

It has been an active budget season. In all of the machinations we have managed to pare less than three percent from the original proposal of $102 million. Board of Education officials would like you to believe that they have actually cut something, but that isn’t the case.

This brings us to the 800-pound gorilla, the single biggest line item and one that has been literally untouched and will remain untouched as long as we have the system and its current officials in place. The teachers union is responsible for $50 million in direct salary or more than half the total spending in town. Just two short years ago that number was a mere $42 million. That’s a big increase and the crux of our problem, an increase of about a new town hall every two years. This was all “negotiated” in advance, and is a known quantity from the time the ink dries on the contract. If we as a town don’t get a hold of this kind of increase and put a stop to it, there is going to be no way to keep property taxes remotely under control. Voting No on the budget is an effective way to let town officials know you are unhappy.

Eric Steinkraus

22 Walker Hill Road, Sandy Hook                                  May 29, 2007