Submitted by Joe Angland, Chair, Greenwich Democratic Town Committee
This past Friday, First Selectman Fred Camillo claimed that Democratic state representatives distorted his position on funding for Old Greenwich School (OGS).
Let’s correct the record.
In January, the First Selectman announced during his budget presentation that the Board of Education had requested $24.5 million for OGS. He, however, decided to allocate $0 in the FY24 budget for OGS and moved the project to FY25. Mr. Camillo cited the Republican BET majority’s budget guidelines in deciding to delay the OGS renovation, saying that the building of two schools at once was “not on the table.”
That was a made-up restriction. There is no town rule that requires funding only one school project at a time. In fact, last year’s capital budget slated construction money for both Central Middle School and OGS. As the town executive, the First Selectman’s job is to propose the budget the town needs and see that budget through. The First Selectman does not answer to the BET, he answers to the voters.
At the March 29th budget public hearing, Mr. Camillo said he now supports $1.1 million for design work for OGS in FY24. We commend the First Selectman for amending his initial zero-dollar proposal, but in no way does this small gesture constitute adequately supporting OGS funding or giving the OGS building committee what it wanted.
The committee stated that if the project was not funded in FY24, then they need $1.1 million to continue their design work. $1.1 million was not their goal – it was their plea for limited help when their proposed spending was rejected by the Republicans on the BET and by the First Selectman.
Limiting this year’s budget for OGS to design work not only prolongs the time our children have to spend in a physically inadequate school, it imposes a projected additional $2 million on Greenwich taxpayers given expected cost escalation.
We applaud the Democratic state representatives for advocating on behalf of Greenwich Public Schools. And we regret that Republican town officials have not done the same.