It's fair to say that the Board of Education's budget process has been more difficult this year than in recent memory, and that the stakes are high, as they always are. Those involved on both sides of the debate cite statistics to justify their positions and the financial techniques available to provide remedy. This discussion is necessary and expected. It's much more difficult to quantify the effect of the debate on those directly impacted by it, no matter what the eventual outcome. Students are aware that the adults wield the financial power. They are aware that the results of the debate will indicate what priority their education has in the minds of these adults, as are others who are less directly, but no less significantly affected by the results - homeowners, business owners, realtors, and politicians, to name a few.
There can be no reasonable debate regarding the magnitude of the cuts that will be necessitated by the budget that seems likely to be approved. There can be and is plenty of debate regarding where these cuts should be made. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, and I won't use this forum to try to influence that debate. But I will cite one statistic. The budget Dr. Corda requested will cost the average Norwalk homeowner approximately $100 more per year than the one that the Common Council and Board of Estimate seem likely to approve.
The email address and telephone number for every Common Council member can be found at the following link: http://norwalkct.org/comcouncil.htm. If you think it's worth an additional $100 to support the budget Dr. Corda has requested, please contact your Common Council representative and ask him or her to raise the cap that has been set on next year's spending. If you think that an additional $100 is too much, I encourage you to contact your representative to let your feelings be known. Either way, I encourage you to participate. The message we are about to send regarding how Norwalk's residents feel about education will be loud, and it will be clear. Let's make sure it truly represents our values.
Rob Polley
