Taxpayers speaking at a February 14 Board of Finance public hearing on the $120.3 million overall budget proposed for 2019-20 focused their comments on the education side of the spending plan, which at $78,104,410 represents 64.9 percent of the spending proposal.

The town government’s $42.195 million segment of the spending plan reflects 35.1 percent of proposed spending. Voters will eventually decide on the two components of the budget separately at an April 23 budget referendum.

In a preliminary estimate, town officials expect that if the currently proposed overall $120,300,136 budget were to be approved by voters, the local property tax rate may increase by 1.7 percent. In effect, a property owner who paid $10,000 in real estate taxes this fiscal year, would then have a tax levy of $10,170 for next fiscal year on the same real estate.

Only a handful of residents attended the February 14 public hearing on the proposed overall budget.

During the public comment section of the hearing, Stephen Rosenblatt of Watkins Drive provided Finance Board members with copies of a letter written by Joe Kearney of Daniels Hill Road. Mr Kearney, a former Finance Board member, submitted that letter for publication recently in The Newtown Bee.

In the letter, Mr Kearney observes that since the 2006-07 budget, the number of students in the public schools has significantly declined, but education spending has significantly increased.

In the letter, Mr Kearney states that the proposed $78.1 million education budget “is wholly unaffordable and should be soundly defeated.”

Rudy Magnan of Watkins Drive told Finance Board members that although the public schools’ enrollment is down from past levels, proposed school spending is up.

“What justifies continued increases in the budget when we have less students in the classroom?” Mr Magnan asked.

The local rate of taxation has grown so high that some senior citizens have had to move out of Newtown, he said. Mr Magnan urged that the Finance Board initiate a dialogue with senior citizens to learn of the seniors’ financial concerns.

Mr Magnan asked that the Finance Board, the Board of Education, and the Legislative Council conduct a joint session with local senior citizens to discuss the matter.

Finance Board Chairman James Gaston said he would be willing to meet with the seniors.

Mr Magnan said he believes that the financial concerns of senior citizens are being ignored by town officials. “The conversation has to happen,” Mr Magnan stressed. “I’ll be in touch,” he added in terms of organizing a joint meeting of the senior citizens and the three town agencies.

A local woman questioned the need for a proposed education administrator who would be known as the “Director of Teaching and Learning.” Such a post seems redundant, she said.

The woman, who said she is a former school teacher, said the school system needs to cut back on the number of standardized tests given to students, adding that the amount of testing done is “cumbersome.”

Finance Board

Following the public hearing, the Finance Board convened a meeting at which its members heard three school officials present the proposed 2019-20 school budget — Board of Education Chair Michelle Embree Ku, Schools Superintendent Dr Lorrie Rodrigue, and Director of Business Ron Bienkowski.

Finance Board members learned that standardized testing of public school students starts in third grade, and that the local public schools are required by government mandate to conduct standardized tests.

Also, school officials explained that transportation-related costs represent about one-eighth of the proposed increase in education spending. More broadly, transportation costs reflect about six percent of the overall school budget.

The 55 school buses now in use have gasoline, diesel, or propane-powered engines, with plans underway for a propane-powered fleet.

On February 5, the Board of Education unanimously endorsed the $78,104,410 education budget for 2019-20, reflecting a about a 2.7 percent increase from the current budget.

As endorsed, the spending plan is nearly the same amount as was first proposed by Dr Rodrigue in early January. The Finance Board will continue to review the proposed education budget, and the Legislative Council will then review it before the proposed spending plan for 2019-20 is submitted to voters at referendum.

School officials also provided information on the tasks that a Director of Teaching & Learning would handle as a school administrator.

According to a draft job description of the proposed Director of Teaching and Learning, the person holding that job would assist in the coordination and implementation of teaching and learning practices that are consistent with standards and aligned at each grade and level; support the development, evaluation, and revision of curriculum and instruction at each grade level; implement newly approved instructional programs; lead and facilitate an ongoing professional development program for teachers to support high-quality curriculum, instruction, and assessment; and solicit feedback from department heads and teachers to plan and implement summer institute workshops that are focused on the priorities outlined in school improvement plans and school district’s strategic plan.

“It’s the cohesiveness we need — it’s the consistency, it’s the direction; and we need to have that, and we need to have that fast,” Dr Rodrigue said in a prior statement on the proposed Director of Teaching and Learning position.