Newtown Is Not Polarized

To the Editor:

It has been said that there are voters in town that always vote No to the budget but those are not the folks Pat Llodra is speaking about as being “polarized” in her recent video appearance on the Patch.

In my opinion this community is not polarized.

The drastic cut to education and the often incorrect explanations from the Board of Education and Legislative Council and their inability up until now to hear what the townspeople are saying has created the appearance of polarization.

The concerned taxpayers and the education supporters are closely aligned about this — both want quality without waste. I think if presented with a budget that was vetted to show that we are adequately funding the education system and services of the town with “zero” waste, an overwhelming majority would vote for it.

Why do I think this? Because I have sat in many meetings and listened to all the different people who’ve come to speak. Most of them asking for — and this is an important distinction — the cut to the education budget to be reduced. Not completely reversed, but “reduced.” Those that are concerned about a rise in taxes have said that they don’t want to hurt the education system, but that they just don’t want to see wasteful spending. They’ve also voiced concerns about waste in the municipal budget. Education supporters don’t want waste in the budgets either. As we now know after a number of weeks of intense vetting, there is no waste in the education budget. There’s common ground there.

A recent unofficial survey went around the web after the last failed referendum asking 300 people about their voting. When asked if they voted Yes to the first budget offered, 40 percent said No. When the same group was asked if they’d vote Yes if an additional $250,000 was added back to the education budget 80 percent said Yes. This was not a survey put out by the PTA or the BOS or any other agency or group so it can be dismissed easily. But it is something, a data point that seems to indicate we’re not as far apart as some might like us to think.

As an education supporter, I will continue to vote No until funds are restored to the education budget.

Michele Assante

Wendover Road, Newtown                                                  July 3, 2012