Seeking Answers on the BoE cuts

To the editor: Thano Chaltas - Stamford

The mayor, through his CFO Fred Flynn and Board of Finance leadership, have targeted cuts of $5.6 million vs. the Board of Education budget request of $223 million by setting a specific desired budget level of $217.7 million.

Neither the BOF nor Mr. Flynn/Mayor Pavia has stated why they think Stamford schools are overfunded and where the so-called waste and potential cuts reside.

Through three sets of hearings lasting nine hours, the BOF and Mr. Flynn have uncovered no significant potential cuts. (Superintendent of Schools Joshua) Starr and the Board of Education have done their homework on this budget and are running a tight ship. The district received outstanding results in fiscal management from the Cambridge Report/Audit. Moreover, the BOE's recent negotiations with the teacher's union resulted in the only wage freeze for a city union and health care costs below other city workers.

The Board of Finance and Mr. Flynn/Mayor Pavia appear to be blindly following the misguided direction of a 1 percent tax increase without regard for the impact on our city. This budget direction will result in a $5.6 million cut to the current BOE request for a paltry 1.81 percent budget increase. The BOF may argue that by City Charter they simply set the budget and the BOE must come up with specific programs to cut. But that response is a copout. If they make the overall budget cut, they must take responsibility for the implications.

Where are these cuts going to come from? The $5.6 million Draconian cut could result in the following actions: closing one school (Turn of River, Davenport, and Toquam have all been mentioned) which would increase the size of all our schools; elimination of up to 90 teachers which would increase class size; losing elementary school instrumental music, losing extracurricular activities, reducing AP classes/high school electives, or moving to half-day kindergarten. Each of these alternatives is wrong for the education of our children and wrong for Stamford.

Over the last five years, SPS has made significant gains in academic achievement while increasing efficiencies and improving operations, despite the elimination of over 70 teaching position due to budget constraints. Let's not move backward and give up those gains.

This voter is more than willing to pay 50 cents a day in tax increase to keep the BOE budget as submitted. I urge the BOF to vote for the BOE budget as submitted. If the BOF votes to go along with Mr. Flynn/Mayor Pavia, together they all need to own the consequences.

Thano Chaltas - Stamford