The Town Budget:

A Hobson’s Choice

To the Editor:

This year those of us who support quality education in Newtown are confronted with a classic Hobson’s choice. We have to support the town budget, even though we don’t support the budget, because the alternative is much worse. Let me explain.

The budget that was recommended by the Board of Education has been significantly reduced by fiat of the Legislative Council over the protest of committed citizens. These reductions are simply not acceptable or defensible when our school district is already so far behind the funding levels of comparable districts. (How our teachers and administrators manage to continue to deliver such high quality programs given the resource constraints is beyond me... it’s a testament to their experience and professionalism.)

However, we don’t have a practical choice but to vote for the budget – in an apparent endorsement of the spending proposals – because to vote NO on the budget would create near chaos. If the budget is defeated, the Legislative Council would have no choice but to further cut the budget, which is the last thing that I want to see happen.

In an era when it is difficult to discern the “will of the people” from the election results, I want my position to be perfectly clear to the members of the Legislative Council: I do not support this budget; I do not support what you are doing to Newtown’s educational funding. That said, I will vote for the budget, because the alternative is unacceptable and much too high a price for our children to pay.

P.S. – The Charter Revision Commission must recommend changes – and the voters must support those changes – if we have any hope of improving our governmental structure and processes so that voters are not confronted with one Hobson’s choice after another in the years ahead. The future of Newtown is at stake. If you care, get informed and get involved.

Ted Ruddock

14 Equestrian Ridge Road, Newtown                       March 27, 2001