Submitted by Brian Raabe
By now all are familiar with how the 2025 budget process went down in Greenwich. Educators and the BOE submitted a budget and the Republican chair of the BET – lacking any professional credentials in educating – cast the deciding vote in cutting education by $4 million.
The theme being “there has to be room to cut BOE – so go do it.” That approach rests on the assumption that the BOE submitted a budget in bad faith with fat easily trimmed.
When that turned out to not be the case and firings have happened and school start times have moved up to save on bus costs, various Republicans have either replied with “we didn’t mean those cuts,” or have otherwise backed away from the deed.
Understandable.
The Republican BET forced the BOE – whose budget was submitted in good faith – back to the mohel. Easy to see an unfavorable outcome.
The BET chair indicated in a recent note that the only way to address this prior to school starting would be for the RTM to call a special meeting. It can’t be taken up in the current budget year (crazy) so has to wait until after July 1, the next regularly scheduled meeting post July 1 is in September, by then it’s too late.
Well played Republican BET. Bad for kids. But well played.
A recent letter representing the Democrat’s position did not speak to this “special meeting”possibility. Why not?
I would ask the RTM, through whatever process governs under the towns charter to call a special meeting in July and secure funds in order to prevent an earlier start time.
The Democrats did also say in their letter they don’t like the idea of the Republican BET dictating line item budget changes, which this essentially backs into. (BET Democrats: Too little, too late – When a Finance Board Plays Politics With Our Children’s Future May 26, 2025). I would ask that the Democrats take what they can get in this instance, and in the fall one can only hope the Republican BET will be voted out.
To do nothing other than state opposition to what has transpired is not a productive position. A lot of people are opposed to this circus.
Instead – act.
Call a special meeting, or make those that prevent a meeting from occurring in July own that in the fall too.