A group of concerned parents, town residents and educators intend to rally in front of Brookfield High School at 6:15 p.m. on Tuesday, April 8, prior to the Board of Finance public hearing at 7 p.m. on the $60.5 million 2014-15 municipal and education budget, to demand that the Board of Finance and First Selectman Bill Tinsley “put our children above politics.,” according to a news release circulated on Tuesday.
All participants of every political party, age group, with and without children are encouraged to wear blue and gold, Brookfield High school colors.
The group is hoping to generate a large turnout to protest reductions in the proposed Board of Education requested budget of $39.6 million, or a 3.5 percent increase.
The proposed Board of Finance budget for the schools is $38.315 million above the current $38.29 million, before accounting reclassifications that add the cost of the school resource officers at Whisconier Middle and Brookfield High schools to the school budget and transfers $500,000 for school staff pensions to the municipal budget. School leaders and supporters suggest the proposed school budget is just over a $20,000 increase; Tinsley and the Board of Finance suggest it is about a $285,000 increase.
Supporters are also concerned about the fate of the school resource officers as the Board of Finance has recommended transferring the expense for those positions to the school district, but the Board of Education did not include those position in its proposed costs, and no vote has yet been taken on whether not to absorb those expenses.
Tinsley and Board of Finance members say this is an accounting procedure, and that if the school board does not wish to cover those costs the money will then be transferred back to the municipal budget and those positions retained. The school budget would then be reduced accordingly.
In a one-sentence letter to Board of Education Chairman Scott McCarthy on Tuesday, Tinsley and Board of Finance Chairman Phil Kurtz wrote this:
“The town’s official budget proposal for 2014/15, as it now stands, is the proposal by the Board of Finance. The funding for the SROS (School Resource Officers) is in the Board of Finance proposed budget.”
“ If the budget the BOF and Bill Tinsley have suggested is passed, everything is in jeopardy, including teachers, sports, world language at all levels, support staff, class size and programs,” the education supporter group wrote in a news release on Tuesday. The group does not yet have a formal name.
“Nothing is off the table. Sadly, the Board of Education will be put in the horrible and painstaking position of deciding which of these they must let go thanks to the lack of funds provided to them by the Board of Finance,” the release said.
Tinsley argues that his budget proposal endorsed by a majority of the Board of Finance -new members Rob Gianazza and Jeff Rossi cast the two dissenting votes because they favored giving the schools additional funds - does not impact programs, but rather adjusts for health costs, early retirement and declining enrollments.
“The Board of Education has requested a reasonable and responsible budget increase of 3.53% which will keep Brookfield Public Schools some of the best in Connecticut while keeping our taxes affordable,” said the news release.
“Demand that the BOF give the people the chance to vote yes or no on the budget suggested by the Board of Education. If it doesn’t pass, fine – but give the people the opportunity to vote yes or no.
“To put it in perspective, the budget that the Board of Education is asking for will cost families on average $7 per month!’
The release then lists what group members consider to be at stake in this budget process:
“In 2008-09 the district had 3 grade levels in which the average class size was over BOE class size guidelines.
In 2009-10 when the budget was at -.26 or -88,492 the district doubled the number of grades (k-8), totaling 6 grade levels in which the average class size was over BOE class size guidelines.
7.31 positions were eliminated to the operating budget during the 2009-10 school year, including both teachers and non-certified staff. Had it not been for ARRA (American Recovery Reinvestment Act) funds, we would have been forced to eliminate an additional 9.29 positions. These funds stopped at end of 2010-11 school year.
Without the ARRA (which is no longer available to us), that would have been almost 17 teachers and staff members eliminated from our schools in 2009!”
“It has taken us five years to recover from the 2009 cuts! Depending on the age of your school children, just imagine when_ if at all – the damage of the current suggested cuts could be resolved and how old your children will be,” the release said.
Once the rally finishes, all participants are urged to attend the public hearing, and speak.
. Childcare will be provided during the public hearing for all who might require that service.
“Remember that whatever budget number the Board of Finance decides upon now, is what we get to vote on in May.
A town meeting is scheduled for May 6 with a tentative referendum date of May 20.
“ This is our last chance. Now is the time to make our voices heard. This does NOT have to happen.
“Our children need us to pay attention and get involved!”