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Residents and school leaders urge caution as town weighs post-referendum cuts
Summary
Multiple residents, including the superintendent, told the board that revaluation and turnout complicate any rapid cuts to schools; residents urged clearer voter education about revaluation and motor vehicle tax changes.
Residents and school officials used the public comment periods to press the Board of Finance for restraint and clearer communication ahead of a May 1 referendum.
Jennifer Magri (speaker 8) asked the board to do more public education about the referendum process and the local impacts of property revaluation and the motor vehicle tax phase-out, saying misinformation on social media had confused many voters. Bob Koskalowski (speaker 1) raised procedural and audit concerns—questioning the town’s reevaluation timing and the grand list certification—while the First Selectwoman and staff answered that the state required a 2024 revaluation and that the grand list had been reviewed by certified staff.
Board of Education members, including Kristen Harmelink (speaker 9) and Chair Champagne (speaker 5), and Superintendent Dr. Susan Compton (speaker 10) described the practical limits on rapid cuts: roughly 78% of the school budget is personnel, and union and FOI constraints restrict how quickly the BOE can negotiate staff reductions. Harmelink said it was unrealistic to expect the nine-member school board to produce credible cuts in days and suggested that presenting speculative scenarios had backfired in past cycles.
Public commenters during the second comment period reiterated support for schools and urged the Board of Finance to balance fiscal constraints with long-term community interests in growth and education quality. The meeting record shows competing claims about surplus amounts and revaluation impacts; staff provided alternative figures and procedural explanations during the meeting rather than documentary resolution.
The board accepted several town-side reductions and ultimately asked the BOE for a $25,000 additional reduction that will appear on the revised referendum package on May 1. Voters will have the final say.
