School Board Still Divided On Supporting The Budget

By Eliza Hallabeck

Members of the Board of Education remained divided at their May 4 meeting on the issue of whether to advocate a Yes or a No vote in the next referendum for the 2010-2011 budget.

Before the last budget referendum, which Newtown voters rejected by a margin of 51 votes on April 27, school board members were split on the same topic. School board Chair Lillian Bittman and Vice Chair Kathy Fetchick have continued their stance on recommending people to vote Yes, because, both have said, they fear the possibility of having further cuts to the proposed budget if the referendum fails.

School board members David Nanavaty and Richard Gaines have said voting No and advocating for residents to do the same can be done until money is added back into the school budget. They upheld those sentiments during Tuesday’s meeting.

Superintendent of Schools Janet Robinson said she is siding with the board’s chair and vice chair.

People who would normally support the school budget, Dr Robinson said, voted to reject the budget in the first referendum because they were upset that there is not enough money in the school district’s 2010-2011 budget.

The 2010–2011 school district’s $69,415,876 budget was approved by the board on February 9, reflecting a 4.8 percent increase over last year’s spending package. On March 8, the Board of Finance reduced the school board’s requested 2010-2011 increase by $2.5 million, leaving the school district with a $679,806 increase for the coming fiscal year. After the budget failed at referendum, the Legislative Council, during a special meeting on April 29, made no further cuts to school spending, but made adjustments that moved $430,000 from health insurance and Excess Cost Grant funds into other areas of the budget.

Dr Robinson said people seem to forget the school district has been running on a bare-bones budget for the past year.

“What surprised me,” said Dr Robinson, “was none of the motions to add anything back got legs, even the token $100,000 didn’t succeed.”

She walked out of the special meeting discouraged.

“I’m trying to just stop the bleeding,” said Dr Robinson. “I’m one of those people that are saying, yes, I am being coerced out of fear. Because, I don’t see the school district being able to handle anymore cuts. And there was nothing that gave me any hope that there was going to be the ability of the Legislative Council to put money back.”

Earlier in the week, Dr Robinson sent out an email to parents saying, “I have been quoted as saying that this year’s budget is an inadequate funding of our schools and that is certainly true. But the reality of the situation is that additional cuts will be made if the next referendum is defeated. Mrs Llodra made it clear that additional cuts cannot be taken out of the town side again. That leaves the education side of the budget to be cut, and additional cuts will exacerbate an already tough economic situation for our schools. To vote No in the hope that the Legislative Council will add money to the education budget is to risk further cuts to education. It takes a super majority, eight votes, of the Legislative Council to add money back and I see no evidence to lead me to think that could happen.”

Ms Bittman said in her heart she felt the school board gained $375,000 during the Legislative Council’s special meeting, and she cannot support a No vote that could risk that. She also added that does not mean she feels the budget is adequate for the school district.

Sending A Message

“I think this year a message needs to be sent,” said Mr Nanavaty. The message, he said, is dismantling education in Newtown cannot continue. “I think they have to put money back.”

Mr Nanavaty said he disagreed with Ms Bittman. School supporters, he said, are needed to pass the town’s budget.

“Unless school supporters are behind a budget, a town budget, it’s not going to pass,” said Mr Nanavaty. “To truly believe that we need to compromise, when the school supporters I have spoken to are dead-set against the dismantling of our schools with a $2.5 million reduction, is not recognizing the power that this Board of Ed has with the people they can rely on to support [the budget].”

Taking a position of telling school supporters to accept it is the wrong message to be sending, Mr Nanavaty said. A lot of people did not vote in the April 27 referendum, according to Mr Nanavaty, because they were upset. If it becomes clear to them the board will not accept a budget that does a disservice to the town, people will come out to vote.

Ms Bittman said that would mean relying on people to do something she is not sure they have the stamina to follow through the summer.

“I think there is no way this budget is adequate to fund schools,” said board member William Hart.

Mr Hart said he knows the Legislative Council has the best interest of the town at heart, but he also knows the town cannot afford to allow the education of Newtown’s students to grow worse.

“No board has ever handled a $2.5 million cut,” said Mr Hart, adding it is the largest cut in a proposed budget the school board has ever faced.

Board member Debbie Leidlein said she will be voting Yes, and added the Legislative Council had done what she hoped they would do after the April 27 referendum failed.

“I am not advocating anyone follow what I do,” said school board member Christopher Lagana, “but I will be voting Yes. I don’t see money going back in.”

Dr Robinson said she wanted to make it clear to the school board members what meeting the budget reductions would mean.

“I think everyone on the board should know it is going to mean 15 teachers,” said Dr Robinson.

Every scenario looked at for meeting the budget, she said, has class sizes going up in the district.

Ms Fetchick said she is concerned about class sizes, and suggested the high school be looked into further.

Interim Director of Business Diane Raymo attended the meeting and was asked her views on having the school district and the town enter into a joint self-insurance account. She said, “I’m going to speak boldly. I wouldn’t touch it with a ten-foot pole until I get real numbers.”

School board members were also divided on the topic of self-insurance. Setting up a balance, according to Mr Hart, is high risk, and the money could “look like candy to be used.”

Ms Raymo said it can be done, if both the school district and the town work together.

“Let’s get it moving and get it done,” said Ms Fetchick. “We can get it done in two months if we schedule joint meetings.”

Regardless of what each member of the board feels about entering into self-insurance with the town, Ms Bittman said she knows First Selectman Pat Llodra will do everything she can to make it work.

The school board also unanimously approved awarding the Hawley School roof replacement bid, the Hawley School boiler replacement bid, and a special appropriation for the Newtown Middle School roof replacement project during the meeting.