Letter to the Editor: Why We Have Chosen to Vote NO To RSD17’s Proposed Budget

The views stated here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the staff of this newspaper. 

Providing quality education for our children is a core service for any community.  Those who have signed this letter live in the towns represented in RSD17 and many have had children in our school system.  We believe in education. More pertinent, we believe in public education and the value it lends to our communities and our future.

So why are we voting NO to the proposed school budget this year?

Normally, if the budget is voted down, the BOE and RSD17 administration receives that denial as a message that their budget is too high.  Typically, the superintendent and Board of Education will go back to the drawing board and impose cuts, because this is how a “no” vote is interpreted.

But what if, for this vote, that is a misinterpretation?  Is it possible that a large percentage of voters are choosing to vote NO this year for a different reason?

Many in Haddam and Killingworth have shown strong opposition to the closing of Haddam Elementary School and RSD17’s “restructuring” (really it’s a consolidation) plan.  Regardless of how you feel about the school closing and educational consolidation, we can all agree that there is a large following, comprised of people from both Haddam and Killingworth, who disagree with the district’s current plans.  This group and its growing number of supporters have been trying in many ways to reach the members of the BOE and town leadership. There have been meetings, emails, articles, social media postings, news clips and a myriad of public comments – all to no avail.  Legally, the Board of Education has every right to do whatever they think is best. However, many in town believe procedural justice has not been served on this issue, and that the perspectives and assessments of many residents have not been fully acknowledged.

So our upcoming vote is our voice – the only voice we have in the cacophonous narrative of misguided and uncompromising leadership.

A motion was brought up in a recent BOE meeting to include an extra line of text on the referendum.  It was suggested by Brenda Buzzi that the NO section could read “NO – I do not support for financial reasons” or “NO – I do not support RSD17’s consolidation plan.”  This motion was denied.

Clearly, the BOE does not want to know how many people in these two towns will not support the work of the BOE and the Superintendent due to their consolidation plan, their decision to close of Haddam Elementary School and their imperious management practices.

To amend this, the Friends of HES will be present at all voting locations with an exit poll.  We will be asking voters WHY they voted the way they voted on the budget. These results will be presented to the BOE.  As responsible elected officials they will need to acknowledge the polls and react to them in their decision to alter the budget to better fit the needs of their constituents.  We are not voting NO necessarily because the budget is too high, but because this budget is not a good fit for our community.

So what does my NO vote mean?  It means no, I do not support your proposed budget, and no I do not support your proposed consolidation of the RSD17 schools for the following reasons:

1. RSD17 is closing a school in the center of Higganum, which will endanger our business community and will impose far more financial hardship on residents of Haddam and Killingworth than the relatively small amount of money it would cost each household to maintain HES continuously operating as a school.
2. The BOE’s proposed solution to the transportation line item is wasteful. Separate buses for HKIS and HKMS will travel to the same building, which translates to inefficiency and increased fuel costs.  Late buses will not be available for HKIS students, which translates to increased fuel costs for families of students participating in before and after school activities.
3. The budget removes 10 teaching positions, but the salary and benefits of all of those positions have not been fully removed from the proposed budget.
4. The budget adds a “Lead Teacher of Student Life” position to help lead the total HKIS and HKMS school to the tune of $99,000 starting salary plus benefits.  We are puzzled about why we need two principals and a Lead Teacher in one building to see that this new school structure can operate.
5. The budget does not provide and estimation or planning for future expenses.  In the absence of a complete capital plan we have no evidence that any stated savings won’t be abolished by future costs (e.g. renovation/addition to remaining school building(s)).  Much like the report generated by the Strategic Capital Planning committee, this budget document does not provide for planning beyond the 2019-2020 budget cycle.
6. Band and Select Chorus for HKIS students will be scheduled before school.  With this change, we will be driving children up to about 20 minutes each direction during the morning commute.
7. The proposed budget copies and pastes items from one year to the next.  This does not make good sense. Our district leaders should be contacting each vendor (copy machines, technology providers, service contracts, etc.) to negotiate better pricing.  This is not happening, and such conferring could save us money if they took the time to do it.
8. According to state statute, school budgets cannot decrease from one year to the next.  However, there are special circumstances (including closing a school), that allow the district to lower budgets to a level below the previous year’s budget.  Why are we seeing a .9% increase in spending in a year that we are closing an entire school?

For the reasons state above, we simply cannot back this budget.  We need to fight for what is best for both our children and our towns.  We are worried that closing Haddam Elementary will hurt Higganum’s economic vitality and spur a decrease in home values.  We are not willing to send our sons and daughters into HKIS as 4th grade guinea pigs under an ill-conceived plan when the actual financial and educational costs far exceed any optimistic gains in either area. We would gladly invest more in RSD17 if we were assured those monies were being managed properly.  Until we gain consensus on these important matters, we will continue to vote no.

Most Sincerely ~

Kathryn and Samuel Packtor

Peter and Jane Baird

Gina Block

Liz Bazazi

Joseph and Kathryn Rizzo

Shawna and David Goldfarb

Sally Jordan

Neal Perron

Jennifer and Jim Petrillo

Pamela Crum

Marie and Eric Lippincott

Amy Richmond

Rob Prchal

Nicole and Jeb Stevens

Sarah and Graig Judge

Michelle Burr Caron and John Caron

Taylor Sergi

Glenn and Marsha Brielmann

Valerie and Steven Wyzykowski

Cathy and Mike Mikulski

Jola and Kevin O’Conner

Mary Hickish