Karyn Holden and Kinga Walsh, co-chairs of the Newtown Education Advocacy Group (NEAG), were the sole representatives of more than 6,000 Newtown taxpaying households at this week’s annual Legislative Council public hearing on the 2015-16 budget proposal.

Ms Walsh, reading from a prepared statement, took a little more than two minutes to relate the group’s collective advocacy for the education budget request, and the session adjourned a few moments later with nobody else in the sparse audience opting to come to the microphone.

“Our message is simple,” Ms Walsh said. “Please support the proposed education budget as is, and pass it through to the voters.”

She noted that the current school district proposal maintains current programs and services but also accounts for the declining student populations.

“More importantly, it offers growth and enhancement opportunities through recommendations for programs such as the pilot world language in kindergarten; expansion of the GATES program; a high school academic officer to help our students succeed; stipends for sports teams to grow after school activities and keep kids safe; and the support and expansion of the NICE program.”

Ms Walsh pointed out that district leadership, working with the Board of Finance, identified new and added savings that helped lower the proposed budget without negatively affecting any programming.

She reminded the council that any further reductions to the district request would negatively “impact programs and children.”

“Let the voters decide,” she concluded.

About two weeks earlier, the finance board unanimously recommended a 2015-16 budget proposal of $111,730,513 to the Legislative Council, representing a 0.6 percent increase over the current year.

The district request before the council is $71,587,946, representing a 0.34 percent increase, and the townside request including all municipal and school district capital debt service is $40,142,567 or a 1.06 percent increase. Capital debt service represents $10,110,702 of the municipal request.

If approved as presented to the council, and subsequently by voters in an April 28 referendum, the new spending plan would represent a net reduction in taxation of 0.71 percent, with a new tax rate of 33.07 mills, down from the current rate of 33.31. A mill represents one dollar for every $1,000 in taxable property.

Finance Director Robert Tait previously told The Bee that overall taxation and the mill rate would be reduced even though the budget is calling for slightly more spending because of new grand list revenue, additional charges for services, and intergovernmental revenue totaling $664,309. Along with a debt service cost reduction, significant savings were developed as a result of a positive claims trend in the town’s self-insured employee health plan.

The annual budget referendum, including a separate question to endorse or reject a GE Foundation grant of $15 million for a planned community center is April 28. Polls will be open at Newtown Middle School that day from 6 am to 8 pm.

Qualified taxpayers may also vote by absentee ballot. Absentee ballots will be available in the town clerk’s office shortly after the council makes its final recommendation on or about April 8.

The town clerk will also hold Saturday absentee budget balloting April 25 from 9 am to noon at the Newtown Municipal Center.

This story was updated correcting school district budget request amounts.