School Superintendent MaryAnne Mascolo asked members of the Board of Selectmen Tuesday to show support for the school district’s $30.2 million funding request.
“I’m hoping the leaders of the community can take a hard look at our schools and be as proud as we are and support this budget. It’s all about positive talk, and if you come out for positive support of this budget, it changes the whole tone of conversation down the road,” Mascolo said.
The school district is asking for a 3.9 percent — or $1.12 million — increase over the current budget.
Click the video and go to the 33 minute mark to hear Mascolo’s remarks. Video by Frank Loda.
Getting a school budget approved last year was maddening — voters rejected the budget, even though it had a zero-percent increase.
First Selectman Paul Roy indicated Thursday the time is not right to speak on the school budget — at least not for him.
“I am working on my suggestions but have not figured out as of yet how the Board of Education budget fits in,” Roy said in an e‑mail, when asked to respond to Mascolo’s request.
He wants to understand how the education budget will fit into the overall budget, which is now being developed by the Board of Finance.
“You really need to ask that question of the Board of Finance as they are responsible for developing the budget for the town,” Roy said.
So what does Robert Koskelowski, the former First Selectman who is now chairman of the Board of Finance, say?
“We would welcome any input from the Board of Selectmen. It would be very helpful,” Koskelowski said.
Koskelowski said his opinion on the school budget hasn’t formed yet. He said he has to weigh all the elements of the town and school budgets. However, he knows the taxpayers are not in a spending mood.
“In these economic times we have to try to control the spending,” Koskelowski said.
Republican Selectman W. Kurt Miller, who is trying to capture the GOP nomination for First Selectman, said he does not support the school budget as it is being presented.
Miller said he doesn’t like how the district is using federal stimulus money to fund some teaching positions. With the stimulus money gone, Miller wondered how the district will pay for the positions the year after next. He suggested the stimulus money be used to pay for something else.
“I think if the town funded about $600,000 plus the stimulus money, that would give them their foundation plus the extra they wanted for technology and some maintenance projects. That is what should be going to the residents to decide with the first vote in my opinion,” Miller said.
