Budget Conference Room
First Board of Ed budget proposal calls for 7.3% increase
By Melvin Mason on January 26, 2016
http://www.stratfordstar.com/46078/first-board-of-ed-budget-proposal-calls-for-7-3-increase/
A $5.4 million deficit? Who cares? The BOE wants a $7.3 million increase. On the BOE’s home planet that’s what you do when faced with a deficit…ask for even more. Apparently, tuition of $14,000 per student simply isn’t enough to educate the children of Stratford. We’re going to need another $4,620,000 in salary increases and benefits. It’s obvious to any administrator that we need even more assistant principals and math coaches. Hey, wait a minute! What’s a “Math Coach”? Is that a full time position with benefits? Or is that someone like a parent or perhaps a college student? And of course we need a Security Director because a $12 million/year police force with a Chief, Deputy Chief, Captains, Lieutenants and sergeants can’t handle security in this enormous town.
Sadly, no one will care. Certainly not the elected BOE members. They can barely keep up with the run around they’ve been getting from this administration. Already we have the DTC Chairman/Board of Ed Vice Chairman Len Petruccelli saying “the school board has to do what they think is best for the students.” Sure, Len. It’s all about the students (wink, wink). Perhaps Harkins, of all people, will simply say $7.3 million is way too much. Parents will cry out and rent their garments and Robinson will settle for $3.1 million and claim her budget was “cut”. As long as the BOE administrators get their raise, that’s all that really matters isn’t it? Hold on, we forgot the most important part; we get to pay for it.
