1. Can Cheshire Afford
NOT to Responsibly Fund
Its School Budget?
Protect Our Two Largest Investments:
Our Children & Our Real Estate Values
2. Cheshire
#3
in Education
Connecticut towns sized
25,000-50,000 people
Harriman Real Estate on November 19, 2009 Connecticut Magazine
3. The Effect of a Good Cheshire School
System on the Town
A great school system is the foundation of
Cheshire’s real-estate values
Cheshire ranked in the top 100 in the best towns to
live in the United States. (CNN Money, August 2009)
A town resident said he paid $50,000 more for his
house to live in Cheshire for the school system (Board
of Education minutes, February 8, 2010)
4. How Successful Is Our K-12
Program?
SAT Scores Cheshire State Average Difference
MATH 549 504 +8%
(#26/166)
READING 531 502 +5%
(#36/166)
WRITING 527 503 +4.5%
CMT & CAPT Scores: Among the top 20 of 166 Statewide Districts
5. How Your Child’s Education
Funding Compares
“ The state average for spending was $13,118 per student
compared to Cheshire’s average of $11,553 per student”. Dr. Florio
BOE Minutes, 01/07/10
Your child is allocated $1,565 Less than the State Average.
Cheshire ranks 143th of 166 towns in Per Pupil Spending
Cheshire ranks in the top 13% of towns in “Ability to Pay”
“ Cheshire schools are efficient and productive.
It shows we are lean and effective. It also means there
is little room to reduce without impacting quality…”
Dr. Florio, BOE Minutes, 01/14/10
6. Your Child’s Education Funding
is Already a Good Deal
With 4850 students (projected figure
for 2010-11) Cheshire spends about
$7.6 million per year less than
the State average.
7. What Does it Mean to
Responsibly Fund Education?
“ It is our responsibility to make sure that the
programs and services are in place to assure
that every student will be successful …”
Dr. Greg Florio, BOE minutes of 1/7/10
8. 2009-2010 Teacher Salaries Impact
Town Council/Board of Education: Teachers receive a
4.4% increase.
Reality:
Near zero increase (+0. 4 %) in money spent on
teacher salaries with the newly negotiated contract in place.
1. When one teacher retires, there is a 50% decrease in salary
when replaced with a new teacher.
2. When one teacher retires, there is a 100% decrease in salary
when NOT replaced with a new teacher.
3. Increased expenses were offset by attrition, retirements,
or un-replaced positions
9. 2010-2011 Original Budget Proposal
“This budget recommendation does not restore
any of the almost seventeen teaching positions
that were reduced in the 2009/10 budget, any
support staff who were eliminated, or replenish
accounts for supplies, materials and equipment
that were cut”.
Dr. Greg Florio’s presentation to the BOE 1/7/10
10. 2010-2011 Original Budget Proposal
“ …it was also evident that prudent management
during the “best of times” has placed Cheshire
in a stronger position than most municipalities
to weather the fiscal storm we face… Cheshire is
well positioned to provide sound levels of service
to its students and residents”
Dr. Greg Florio’s presentation to the BOE 1/7/10
11. 2010-2011 Proposed Education Budget
…“The recommended budget requests funds
to support contracted increases for employees,
services and special education. The budget
maintains funding levels in most accounts at
current levels, but reduces funding in several,
such as supplies and textbooks.”
Dr. Greg Florio’s presentation to the BOE 1/7/10
12. Why Cut The
Education
Budget in the
First Place?
13. Why Cut $650,000?
“…Mr. Sobol said he would not support this
Motion [$650,000 cut] because it will
eviscerate the school system and in addition,
he would like to know where the $650,000
comes from. He said he cannot support this
process any longer either and thinks the
budget process is broken”
Minutes of BOE February 4, 2010
14. Why Cut $650,000?
“Mr. Massey reviewed the Board’s duties per
state statute, noting that the Board shall
maintain ‘good’ public elementary and
secondary schools…He doesn’t know if we
are ‘good’ with that many staff
reductions…He feels it would put the Board
in a place where they are not doing their legal
job.”
Minutes from BOE meeting, 02/08/2010
15. Why Cut $650,000?
“Mr. Mrowka already said that this is a bare-
boned budget without further reductions.”
Minutes from BOE meeting, 02/08/2010
16. Why Cut $650,000?
“That motion proposed a $650,000 reduction
to Florio's budget, …was based on the
assumption of union concessions.”
Cheshire Herald, February 15, 2010
17. Impact of Budget Cuts
“Further staffing reductions would or require
wholesale changes, and / devastate class sizes or
the elimination of programs. Options would have to
include programmatic reduction such as:
Academically Gifted program
reductions in the instrumental music program
elimination of electives at Cheshire High School in
departments such as Business or Technology
Education
reductions to support service areas including
guidance or other counseling services. (continued)
Dr. Greg Florio’s Budget Proposal to B.O.E. 1/07/10
18. Impact of the Budget Cuts
“…None of these options are good ones, nor
does a community that has high expectations
for its school and its students desire them.”
Dr. Greg Florio’s Budget Proposal to B.O.E. 1/07/10
20. Shared Sacrifice
Teachers agreed to:
the Board of Education’s 3 year contract
term
an increased percent share of health
insurance premiums
increased co-pays
higher deductibles
higher prescription drug costs
Neither the teachers nor the Board
pursued binding arbitration
21. Shared Sacrifice
“The BOE has done a good diligence to get
this negotiated number [insurance premium]
up high. Cheshire teachers are paying the
highest percentage across the State.”
Town Council minutes, 02/24/2009
22. Shared Sacrifice
Shelton’s teacher union offered a full day and a
half of pay as a “loan”.
“Walsh (BOE chair for Shelton) expressed
deep gratitude to all the unions who worked
with the board in helping resolve the current
deficit, without slashing people’s jobs.”-New
Haven Register, December 22, 2009
23. Shared Sacrifice
Cheshire teachers offered three days of pay as an
interest -free “loan” to the Board of Education.
“This isn’t shared sacrifice,” he [Brittingham]
said “Deferments? That’s not sacrifice. That’s
an insult to taxpayers.”- Meriden Record Journal,
March 10, 2010
Cheshire teachers are also considering an
alternative healthcare benefit plan to reduce
costs
24. As the Budget Stands Now
“Milone said last year’s budget increase was
the lowest in the past 20 years, and this
year’s increase represents the second
lowest increase.” Cheshire Herald, March 11, 2010
“Milone explained that there would be between
*$5.9 and $6.4 million in reserve accounts, as well
as **$8.6 million in the Rainy Day Fund”.
*Cheshire Herald, December 17, 2009, ** Cheshire Herald, March 11, 2010
25. What Now?
Council budget Committee Chairman David Schrumm,
…said he anticipates reducing the final education budget”.
Record Journal 03/15/10
[BOE Chairman] “Brittingham said he had been told by
Councilman David Schrumm…that the board would get a
zero increase or close to it”…In a worst case scenario
“Brittingham said school officials will be forced to consider
a series of drastic budget cuts…Among the options…are:
Closing of Chapman elementary school
Elimination of department heads
25% reduction in positions with a stipend (e.g. coaching, club & class advisors)
20% budget cut for all extra-curricular activities (e.g. athletics, band)
New Haven Register 03/15/10
26. As the Budget Stands Now
Using Mr. Milone’s figures (Cheshire Herald, March
11, 2010), if the BOE’S budget proposal were to
be adopted, the average tax increase/household
would be:
$158 a year
HOWEVER IF
The Town Council restored $475K of the BOE’s
$950K reduction they could use 5.5% of the money
from the Rainy Day Fund. This would mean the
average tax increase/household would be about:
$4 more/month
27. What Now?
“In ten years, never once has a budget come
back from the Town Council uncut.”
Kathy Hellreich, former BOE member, Minutes from BOE meeting,
02/08/2010
“…According to CABE, the Board’s role is
‘adopting, advocating for, and overseeing a
school budget which is responsive to the
district goals and meets the needs of all
students.’”
Tom Scarice [Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction,
Weston Public Schools] and resident of Cheshire, Minutes from BOE meeting,
02/08/2010
28. What Now?
“…People should be told about the budget, the
mill rate, and be honest about what services will
be cut…This should be done outside of the budget
process, and on an ongoing basis…”.
Justin Adinolfi, Town Councilor & Member of the Board of Directors
for Cheshire Education Fund, Town Council minutes March 18th, 2010
“ …the CRRA contract expires in June 2010, and
Cheshire will receive its distribution of $3.5 to
4.5 million from the reserve account. The Town
Council will decide on how to use these funds when
it comes in next fiscal year”.
Michael Milone, Town Council minutes March 18th, 2010
29. #3
in Education
Connecticut towns sized
25,000-50,000 people
Harriman Real Estate on November 19, 2009 Connecticut Magazine
Where will we rank
next year?
30. What Now?
“ It solves no problems to exclude parents and the
public from important decisions about
education policy or to disregard the educators
who work with students daily. Public education
is a vital institution in our democratic society,
and its governance must be democratic, open to
public discussion and public participation”
Diane Ravitch, The Death and Life of the Great American School System
31. Questions to Ask Your Elected Officials
1. What are the legitimate and ethical reasons for reducing
Dr. Florio’s proposed 2010-2011 Budget proposal?
2. How can we balance budgetary demands with the
needs of responsibly funding our educational programs?
3. What are the long term effects of our town’s
present philosophy & rationale for funding education?
4. What are the long-term effects of the proposed
budget cut to our two greatest investments:
our children’s future & the value of our real estate?
32. What Can We Do?
This is YOUR town, YOUR School system,
YOUR tax dollars
YOU deserve ANSWERS not rhetoric and hyperbole
Please join us in requesting our elected officials to
DO THE RIGHT THING
Tell Our Elected Officials to
Responsibly Fund Our School Programs