Submitted by Brian Raabe, Greenwich
The Republican members of the BET repeated their arguments for cutting school funding under the guise of oversight here, (BET Republicans: A Stronger School Budget Starts with Oversight May 10, 2025)
They structure their argument with:
Why We Approved an $8 Million — Not $12 Million — Increase
Where Could the $4 Million in Savings Come From?
Where the $4 Million Should NOT Come From
A Budget Built on Facts, Not Fear
Reading, one can’ t help but feel, after a lengthy time on hold, you have reached a customer service rep that doesn’t understand the issue, can’t help, won’t help.
Digging into their letter –
Republican BET – “Why We Approved an $8 Million — Not $12 Million — Increase”
Once again, they bang the gong of funding $8MM vs. the $12MM requested in the bottom-up budget. It smacks of the colonists’ lament of King George, “He holds our chin just high enough above the water to prevent drowning but refuses to permit us to prosper.”
It’s a cut. Stop with the semantics.
The line-by-line process yielded a request for $12MM, the Republican BET cut it down to 66% of that. If it were graded, at 66% it would get a “D.”
Republican BET – “Where Could the $4 Million in Savings Come From?”
Oddly, this section starts with,” State law does not allow us to modify line items.”
Which is basically saying they created the problem but cannot provide a resolution. They do make a few suggestions though.
“District-wide Services: Costs for administration, Pre-K, facilities, and transportation…”
That’s a wide bucket of services they cite but hold onto the notion of transportation costs – that’s a biggie and we’ll come back to it.
The Republican BET continues, “Most households start with excess spending — not essentials — when trimming budgets. The same principle should apply here.”
Which is as insulting to one’s intelligence as “skip the latte.” It’s our children’s education, not whether to turn the thermostat down
But again, this section suggests non-essential activities be cut at the margin but talks about some essential stuff, like pre-K, buildings, and getting GHS kids to school at an age-optimal time, versus a pre-dawn wake up.
Republican BET – “Where the $4 Million Should NOT Come From.”
Here’s where it gets circular.
Again, they go all “Home Ec” with the customer service rep repeat of, “Like any household, trimming budgets should start with non-essential and administrative expenses.”
You’re talking to the electorate here, not 14-year-olds… we know how a budget works.
And the Republican BET isn’t splitting atoms when you trim 77 basis points – or $4MM of a $521MM budget – on the backs of students.
No wonder the First Selectman of your own party was publicly opposed.
They continue by trotting out the conspiracy theory playbook –
“Unfortunately, the Superintendent’s initial suggestions included cuts to the Advanced Learning Program (ALP), world languages, and shifting high school start times — all highly visible changes likely to generate concern. These proposals were designed to provoke public backlash and shift attention away from areas where meaningful savings exist.”
HOLD ON! Didn’t the Republican BET suggest transportation costs in “Where Could the $4 Million in Savings Come From?”
To save on transportation you must shift start time earlier. You can’t say you want to lose weight but eat more. It doesn’t work that way…
In essence the Republican BET has said, we aren’t fully funding, we’re prohibited from telling you what to cut, we don’t like the cuts you’ve proposed though because they’re visible and upsetting to voters and we think that’s political.
Read it again slowly.
Fear versus… blah, blah.
They then proceed to a world salad of “ we are about facts versus fear,” they’re on the side of the angels, etc. etc.
The only line I agreed with is, “Meanwhile, local party emails are urging voters to “elect Democrats to stop the cuts.”
Well said.
Not because I am affiliated with a party.
Like the 40% of the town that is registered and thinks independently, so do I.
But the Republican BET ideas on school funding are bad at worst, illogical and circular at best.
Vote for candidates that fully fund schools.
In the interim, get ready to set your alarm early.