MONROE, Conn. — Families and other residents kept the pressure on town officials to fully fund Monroe’s public schools during a Board of Finance hearing on the town budget Tuesday night, and at an ensuing budget workshop, Superintendent Joseph Kobza expressed his belief the district can now carry out all of its goals for the next fiscal year.
The Board of Education had voted along party lines to cut Kobza’s initial budget proposal by $250,000 and First Selectman Terry Rooney made another $1.6 million cut. Though the school district would have gotten a $2 million increase, rising costs would have led to the elimination of existing positions and programs to make ends meet.
But after Rooney recommended putting $1.2 million back in, Kobza told finance board members at Tuesday’s budget workshop he found savings and revenue lines to make up for the remaining $403,230.
In addition to not having to eliminate positions and programs, the superintendent said this allows him to restore new positions in his original budget proposal that were meant to move the district forward, including hiring an assistant principal at Stepney Elementary School, a 0.2 full-time equivalent (FTE) math skills teacher at Jockey Hollow Middle School and a 0.3 FTE speech pathologist at Fawn Hollow Elementary School.
“Can you say what is left is not impacting what our parents care about most, which is instructional ability?” Town Treasurer Frank Dutches asked Kobza.
“Correct,” Kobza confirmed.
Katherine Stauffer, vice chair of the Board of Finance, asked the superintendent if there is anything outside of what parents advocated for that he wants the board to consider. Kobza said he and his administrative team would have to go back and look over his budget.
Kobza showed slides to explain how the district can absorb the $403,230 shortfall from his original proposal.
Savings of $26,975 could come from a phone/maintenance contract and $5,000 from a toner/phone repair line. Two late retirements could net a savings of $52,500 after the elimination of salaries, payment of pensions and hiring of replacements, he said.
A health insurance increase was projected at 15 percent, but came in at 12.5 percent, so $50,000 can be saved. Kobza said three open paraprofessional positions are no longer needed, saving another $75,000.
This adds up to $209,475, leaving $193,755 of the shortfall.
Kobza said there is $194,000 in the pre-k revenue line of which $88,755 could be used to pay for a pre-k teacher.
There is also a revenue line for facilities, including money brought in through fees to rent the Masuk High School pool and the auditorium. Going forward, Kobza said this money could be used for Chromebooks and he plans to use $75,000 for it in the 2026-27 budget.
He said $30,000 could be used for summer maintenance, when all of the furniture is removed from classrooms and floors are stripped and waxed to look like new. The revenue fund will likely only be used for this once, Kobza added.
These moves cover the remaining $193,755.
Support for education
A large crowd was seated inside the Council Chambers of Town Hall as many spoke in favor of restoring all of the Board of Education funds, in person and online. Aside from people speaking out publicly, a petition asking the town to fully fund its schools garnered over 1,000 signatures.
Dave Walker, who is now retired, said his own children graduated from Monroe’s schools.
“I want Monroe to continue to be a town to raise your family with good government and quality schools,” he said. “I’m ready to put my money where my mouth is and support education. Please give us the chance to approve a budget that our Board of Education and superintendent believes is needed for our schools.”
That was the sentiment of the majority of the people who spoke, with arguments made about Monroe’s lower per pupil expenditure and high teacher to student ratio compared to most towns in its District Reference Group, Masuk’s U.S. News & World Report ranking among Connecticut high schools which continues to worsen, and how high performing public schools have a positive impact on a town’s property values.
Some educators spoke of constantly being asked to do more with less and how years of underfunded budgets can lead to the deterioration of school systems.
Chrissy Martinez, a Board of Education member who had voted against cutting the budget, said things that are cut are never restored. For example, from her time as a student at Masuk she remembers there being an auto shop and an electrical shop for students wanting to pursue those trades. Both classes were eliminated years ago.
Jason Maur, a town council member who spoke as a resident and a taxpayer, asked for the restoration of the full amount and for a ballot question for the budget referendum allowing people to vote yes just right, no too high or no too low, so town officials understand their reasoning. A number of speakers also asked for the ballot question.
Maur said the budget should not pit seniors against the schools.
“Let’s fully fund education and provide senior tax relief,” Maur said, adding of the education budget, “let’s put the funds back and let the people decide at referendum whether we want to spend it. Let’s not look at ‘this or that.’ Let’s do it all.”
Katie Tolan, a mother of two who started the Facebook Group Monroe Parents for Education and started the petition asking for the restoration of all education funds, thanked Rooney for returning $1.2 million of his $1.6 million cut, but added that it seems like a shell game with the first selectman and the Board of Finance.
She also said the first selectman’s past comment about some residents choosing between buying a load of bread and their medication seemed exaggerated.
Other residents complained of the perceived annual pattern of the first selectman making a cut and the Board of Finance restoring a portion of it after parents speak up.
Ashley Arroyo said the first selectman cut the budget then “quickly changed his tune and asked to restore a portion of what he decided wasn’t necessary before.”
Jeff Auriemma said voters are given a choice of passing an education budget at referendum that is inadequately funded or turning it down and having it reduced. “This is not how to treat taxpayers,” he said. “We need to a true choice.”
Glenn Mate, a former deputy fire marshal in town with a daughter enrolled at Masuk, said the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors unrelated to funding could be attributed to the decline in the school’s state ranking.
Mate said the town needs to take a holistic view of its budget and noted how municipal departments had been underspent in the past. “This administration is trying to find a happy medium,” he said.
Mate said Monroe has paid lower municipal salaries than surrounding towns and lost good employees over the years as a result. For example, he said he was paid $15 an hour to be a deputy fire marshal, while two other nearby towns paid $23.50 and $26.56.
“I’m sorry to rain on everyone’s parade, but I’m bringing a voice of reason,” Mate said, while suggesting holding off on an education increase for one year to allow the municipal side to catch up.
Several speakers expressed disagreement with Mate, pointing out that the pandemic negatively impacted children globally, so it cannot only be an excuse for Monroe, and, while supporting his stance to properly fund the municipal side, others contended holding off on education for a year would put the town’s schools two years behind.
Throughout the budget process, Rooney, Board of Education Chairman Dennis Condon and other Republicans have complained about underfunding of education by the state of Connecticut, which they said puts pressure on towns like Monroe.
Mark Zurek, a parent, said the state has the funding, but not the appetite to provide more education funding, and that the same goes for the town. He said the first selectman is right to be frustrated with the state, but added the town could use $400,000 of the $2.7 million “refund” Rooney wants to give to back to taxpayers for education.
During the workshop, Board of Finance member Steve Kirsch clarified that Zurek was actually talking about the $2.7 million the first selectman wants to use from the general fund to offset the tax increase, rather than a refund that would be sent to individual taxpayers.
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