Assessing Affordability

In A Time Of Need

(The following letter to Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell has been received for publication.)

Dear Gov Rell:

I am writing to you as a concerned resident of Newtown, and as an appointed member of the Technology, Communications and Strategic Planning Committees for Newtown Public Schools, regarding the proposed cuts to Internet access and filtering for schools and libraries. We are working through the many challenges of bringing our district’s technology needs up to a level where we able to provide opportunities, efficiencies, and heightened communications for our entire district, while preserving the dignity of the taxpayer dollar. Though we have different opinions on how to achieve that goal, the common thread that binds us together is the concern for the affordability of this venture in a time of economic uncertainty, not to mention $70 million worth of infrastructure needs for our district. We have come to understand that in a 21st Century dynamic global environment, Newtown as well as other districts in our state must somehow continue to forge onward or be left behind.

Our budget increase this year was 0.43 percent resulting in cuts in staff, materials, and the postponement of repairs to our schools, not unlike other communities in Connecticut. The proposed cuts to the funding of the CEN [Connecticut Education Network] that provides Internet access and filtering to school districts and libraries would effectively undermine our ability to continue to bring our district up to speed in technology as money that would have been earmarked for technology needs could be redirected to provide Internet access and filtering for our district through a contracted source. Over the last ten years, CCJEF [Connecticut Coalition for Justice in Education Funding] reported that Newtown’s educational support by the state has diminished by 76.4 percent, (adjusted for inflation). This has contributed to the large rift in the culture and sense of community of our town, dividing education supporters vs those who feel they shoulder enough tax burden for education.

I realize we are not alone in the challenges we face to fund the varying needs of our schools systems. As our people struggle to continue to provide food and shelter and medical care for their families, as well as grapple with the steady rise in taxes, the state must consider ways to rethink its options for cutting the funding that would further demoralize the local budget process. Connecticut must assist communities to respond to the rise in the demands of a dynamic 21st Century global economy.

Desiree Galassi

151 Huntingtown Road, Newtown                                 June 10, 2009