Information, Not Finger Pointing On Budget
To the Editor:
When I was a child, and something went wrong, we would all point fingers at each other: it wasn’t my fault, they did it!
It’s easy to look for someone to blame when something goes wrong. But blaming doesn’t help us solve complex problems. We need to do the hard work of studying, analyzing, and compromising to find solutions.
Newtown has a big budget problem this year. Residents here don’t need cuts that are made arbitrarily and single handedly. We need honesty and transparency. And we need thoughtful informed decisions about what expenses are necessary, and where we could find real savings.
Maybe the problem is because the health insurance program wasn’t well enough endowed. Maybe it’s because the cost of electricity went up so much. Maybe it’s because the water and sewer authority was underfunded. Maybe it’s because the people of Newtown have had low tax increases for many years, and it’s all catching up to us now. Maybe all that helps explain why we’re in the situation we’re in today. But trying to blame someone, and trying to frame it as partisan politics, not only doesn’t help, it keeps us from understanding what to do to move forward.
Finger pointing is easy. A child can do that. Transparency and informed decisions take a lot more work, but they’re the only way to ensure we have all the information we need so we can vote on the budget. Please don’t give us propaganda; give us the facts!
Ed Randall
Newtown
Interesting this letter makes suggestions as to the causes of the proposed 7.5% tax hike, fails to mention that the school enrollment is down about 30% yet costs continue to rise. Sometimes what people omit can be as telling as what they say.
Facts count. For example, School enrollment is down by 68 students from the previous year. The budget included a significant reduction in BOE teachers and staff. The budget process has only just begin, The initial request for funds will clearly be reduced, and varies revenue and expenditures will change. lots more to come, lets not jump the gun to condemn the budget until its submitted to the votes at referendum time. Give all the boards a chance to figure this out,
School enrollment is down substantially from its peak — 20 years ago. It is projected to rise from now through 2030. “Sometimes what people omit can be as telling as what they say.”