As Chairman of the Seymour BOE, I have read the comments about the school budget and would like to offer clarity around some of the misinformation and rumors that have been circulating.
I conducted two sessions this spring in order to present the facts and figures of the BOE budget and unfortunately very few chose to attend and become more informed. Please visit this website for copies of the presentation.
I encourage you to reach out to me directly to share information you may be hearing so that we can discuss the facts. If you have factual information that contradicts any of these statements I encourage you to bring it forward.
“I can’t pay more taxes.”
Are you certain that yours will increase? A call to the Tax Collector’s office will confirm your new payment. Not all taxpayers will see an increase. In fact there are many that will see no increase or even a decrease with the proposed budget.
“The BOE must do more with less.”
Over the past three years the BOE has received $677,000 while costs have risen over $3 million.
The administration has worked very hard to find the least impactful areas to cut and still provide as many services as possible. That has led to the comment, “the BOE got no increase, but were able to educate the children, so they really didn’t need the money.” We should be doing far more but continue to be constrained due to less than optimal funding. The bare essentials are no longer enough to produce college or career ready students.
“The superintendent makes too much money.”
Actually the data shows that her salary is in the mid-range of her peers. The salary is fair compensation for the multitude of responsibilities in the job description. It should also be noted that the Central Office administrators have returned their increases back to the town for the past few years.
“There are too many administrators.”
Comparing our school district to Milford, Stratford or Hartford is not appropriate. In our District Reference Group (towns where the socioeconomic demographic is similar), our staffing is very comparable. Often other districts have more administrators than it appears at first glance because they are not called principals but rather department heads or subject area coordinators. Seymour does not have that layer of administration.
“Teachers should pay more for health insurance.”
The fact is that with each contract renewal they have paid more. Both premiums and copayments have increased. Details can be found on the district website.
“The BOE doesn’t think about taxpayers.”
We are taxpayers too. No one wants to pay more. As a board we are charged with ensuring a quality education for the youth in our town. We evaluate incoming requests against our collective ability to pay on a regular basis. We should be providing so much more but understand that it is not possible at this time.
“Too much money is spent on salaries.”
Education is a service organization. The bulk of the cost goes towards the personnel who educate and support the students. Infrastructure expenses will always be much lower.
“Private school costs less.” At the high school level the cost is very similar. In per pupil spending Seymour ranks 157 out of 169 districts. Only 12 districts in the state spend less. We don’t want a bargain education; we want an excellent one for our students. Additionally, at many private schools, tuition is less than the cost of the education – endowment funds and fund raising typically pick up a portion of the cost of infrastructure and educating students.
“The BOE threatens to cut programs to force the public to pass their budget.” There are no threats. Once a budget has been passed the BOE will complete the difficult task of deciding what won’t be funded next year.
“We need more teachers and fewer administrators.”
As adults we like to reflect on our childhood education and say it is fine with fewer administrators. That may be true. However, if you saw the amount of work that is required to fulfill the current state and federal mandates, I believe you would think differently. In order to comply with the paperwork, evaluation standards, legal and reporting requirements, administrators are essential. I would be happy to share with you the volumes of information that we receive each month that we need to understand and implement within our district. The amount that needs to be read is mind-boggling.
Please consider these facts when you come out to vote on Wednesday, May 30.
Yashu Putorti is the chairman of the Seymour Board of Education.
