More than two dozen local residents, including several Sandy Hook Elementary School parents and a few educators who were witness to the tragedy of 12/14, took turns at the microphone during a public budget hearing March 23, strongly but respectfully requesting Legislative Council members retain funding to employ the town's full complement of armed school security officers (SSOs) for at least another year.Consulting Fees NeededRestorations Requested

Many of the same taxpayers also called for the council to reject recommended reductions made by the Board of Finance targeting the school district's self-funded health plan, technology, and transportation accounts, arguing that without line item authority, those reductions would likely be applied to programming or other areas directly affecting students.

Council members are in the first stages of considering finance board recommendations proposing a school district budget of $73,865,065, providing a 3.18 percent increase, and a municipal budget of $41,036,679, representing a 2.23 percent increase.

Earlier this month, the finance board moved to reduce the school district budget request by $350,001. While the board has no line item authority over the school budget, four of the six finance panel members voted to recommend the district reduce $114,000 based on declared fuel savings and $20,000 in natural gas savings expected for the new Sandy Hook School.

But what drew the ire among most of the hearing participants was recommended reductions of $80,000 from the district's self-funded medical insurance line, $83,000 from the transportation request, and $51,000 from technology.

Even more apparently concerning were recommendations supported in two of the council's subcommittees. The Municipal Operations panel recommended reducing a townside budget allocation for salaries and benefits for two armed SSOs - one of the two employed at Sandy Hook School and one of two stationed at Newtown High School.

In addition, the council's Education Committee voted to support the finance board's suggestion along with an added reduction of $57,000 from student transportation.

Another finance board reduction nearly eliminating a line item for traffic consulting fees brought Newtown Police Commissioners Brian Budd and Chairman Joel Faxon to the hearing asking that the council consider restoring the requested $15,000, which was cut to $1,000 during finance board deliberations.

Mr Budd said that while traffic studies are not necessarily planned, funding should be available when citizens bring concerns to the commission, which acts as the town's traffic authority.

He also suggested the reduction, proposed by finance board Chairman James Gaston, Sr, who is also the Borough of Newtown warden, could be viewed as "punitive" after the commission mounted a controversial study about traffic issues around the town's iconic Main Street flagpole.

Council Chair Mary Ann Jacob suggested the officials return during deliberations on public safety funding, which are scheduled to occur on either March 30 or April 6.

Among the few residents supporting various reductions was Steve Rosenblatt, who pointed out in recent years, how the education budget had increased by $13 million while the district saw a reduction of about 1,000 students.

He also criticized the approved 13.27 percent pay hike the teacher's bargaining unit struck late last year, which would be distributed over a new four-year contract.

"I'm asking that you correct the imbalance of spending more money on a lesser number of students," Mr Rosenblatt said.

Former council member Robert Merola also referenced the teacher's pay increases, noting that the level of raises is inconsistent with the private sector, and that the resulting tax increases would be a burden on residents who are living on fixed incomes, who have seen few if any increases to Social Security benefits in recent years.

"I appreciate the mission of the Board of Education, but it doesn't necessarily take taxpayers into account," Mr Merola said before suggesting school officials make a good faith effort toward taxpayers by reducing their budget by one dollar for every student the district has lost.

Former school board member David Freedman also stepped up, speaking on behalf of his family and those challenged by budget increases. Mr Freedman said that Newtown is already regarded as one of the top school districts in the state, and that he believes the district could sustain itself, and even add programming while reducing its requested budget increase.

Jay Mattegat also asked the council to be particularly sensitive to seniors challenged to pay increasing local taxes.

Supporting restoration of proposed school district reductions, clinical psychologist and resident Joanna Rosen made note of how fears over reduced security, especially at Sandy Hook School, were already increasing anxiety among parents, students, and school staff still grappling with the effects of posttraumatic stress disorder.

Laura Terry echoed concerns about security staff reductions, reminding council members that the size of the high school building justifies there being two SSOs on duty at all times during the school days. She also made the suggestion that the district pay a third-party consultant to review district transportation costs and practices regularly to determine whether efficiencies could be found.

Karen Roszman said she does not "buy the argument that lower enrollment equates to lowering the budget," adding that the rapid development of technology and its required use in school testing justifies restoration of reductions suggested for the district's technology department.

Retired Sandy Hook School art educator Leslie Gunn was saddened that her former colleagues and those who witnessed the devastation on 12/14 had to come out and request restoration of funds to the SSO account.

Julia Conlan expressed disappointment over those blaming increases in special education costs for budget increases, saying the criticism was hurtful to local families relying on such services. She also believed that cuts suggested for the self-insured health plan and transportation would affect students and programs. Karen Holden agreed, calling suggested reductions "arbitrary," and telling town officials to make reductions on facts and solid data, versus a perceived need to hit a particular budget goal.

Resident David Beylouni said the district needs to protect its students and visitors, and that "any cut to security is too much." And Aaron Cox borrowed from the famed Robert Frost poem when appealing to restore technology reductions, imploring council officials to "Take the path less traveled" by giving students and educators the tools they need to succeed.