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Resident urges council to back school budget, saying strong schools are a key long-term investment
Summary
Coventry resident Kate Clark told the Town Council that Coventry spends less per student than peer Connecticut towns and asked councilors to approve the schools' budget to avoid cuts to programs and services.
Kate Clark, a Coventry resident, used the Audience of Citizens time on March 16 to urge the Town Council to approve the schools' budget and to acknowledge when budget decisions result in cuts.
Clark said Coventry already "spends significantly less per student than other communities in CT" and that when budgets fail to cover contractual wage increases, transportation and other fixed costs, the result is reduced services. "One of the best long-term investments a town can make is in its schools," Clark told councilors, adding that parents' work and family schedules make regular attendance at council meetings difficult and that she appreciates the council's work.
Clark asked that, if the council reduces school funding, it should acknowledge the resulting program and service cuts rather than asserting there were no cuts. She said she needed to leave for her child's bedtime but hoped the council would consider her points during budget deliberations.
Next steps: Councilors continued with department budget presentations; Clark's remarks were recorded in the meeting minutes and will inform budget deliberations leading up to the referendum.
