To the Editor:

Why has there been so dramatic a decline in our schools’ enrollment over the past 12 years? Should we be concerned that enrollment will continue to decline for the next five years? The forecast in the current School District budget indicates that by 2024, there could be over 1,900 fewer pupils enrolled since the decline began in 2007. The state shows an overall decline in school enrollment of 6.3 percent. Newtown’s decline is four times that figure.

Why is this happening?

The straight and simple answer is that Newtown is not attracting families with children to come and live here, for a variety of reasons. One might be the burst of the housing bubble in 2008, followed by the deep recession that ensued. High taxation is another reason. Birth rates drop under these economic conditions. Most probably it is a combination of these and more reasons, which have resulted in a population restructuring that has not maintained a balanced equilibrium to replenish our school enrollment. Children finish school and families move away. New families with children are not moving to Newtown replacing those who have left.

We should be very concerned.

As our home values decline and taxes increase, we have all-time budget highs in this upcoming referendum vote on April 23. We need to ask ourselves and the people we elected, where are we headed beyond this year? What are the plans, as the town seems to live from one annual paycheck to the next? Will our school budgets continue to sap the taxpayers’ purse and patience year after year, protected by the Connecticut State Board of Education’s mandate that a town cannot reduce its school budget below the current year’s number, except in the case of a declining enrollment? Otherwise, each increase is forever.

If the State’s Board of Education acknowledges declining enrollment as the only reason for reducing a school district’s budget, why hasn’t Newtown’s Board of Education followed that mandate?

Consider this: if a town started with a zero budget and had to plan and build a school system to accommodate the number of pupils projected in our district by 2024 (3,670), would they need the number of schools, teachers, staff, and buses we presently have? Think about this when you mark your referendum ballot this year.

Most of all, please get out and vote. Last year’s referendum drew only 17 percent of the voters to the poles. If voters leave it to someone else to spend their money, then we deserve what we get.

Steve Rosenblatt

50 Watkins Drive, Sandy Hook         April 12, 2019