Brookfield BOE Shills whip parents into frenzy over Budget
Submitted by Brookfield First, a group who is trying to implement a Citizen Audit Committee with Dr. Fusco.
A Board of Finance approved budget will go before the voters within the next six weeks. It was not unanimous.
After a long and drawn out debate over the dollar size and spending items in both the town and Board of Education budgets, the Board of Finance compromised with a 1.2% tax increase from its originally proposed 0% tax increase.
This was an attempt to satisfy a hysterical special interest group consisting of almost 200 parents (duped once again by the Board of Education cartel and Teacher’s Union), teachers and Municipal Building Commissioners, that attended the Tuesday night public hearing to have their own self-serving interests financed at your expense next year.
Last year’s budget hearing was attended by almost 600 residents and that budget was defeated at the polls by more than 600 voters due to the fact that they could simply not afford an almost 8% increase that the Education special interest group demanded last year. The Board of Finance originally proposed a Zero tax increase budget that cut more out of the Town side of the budget than the Education side, as a percentage of their respective budgets in the hopes of a reasonable compromise given this year's dire economic circumstances. Town lay offs have already begun as the current year revenues have fallen below projections due to the economic conditions of the region and Brookfield being no exception.
The “compromise” budget passed 5 to 1 with Finance Board member Howard Lasser, the rumored DTC First Selectman candidate, as the lone uncompromising vote. Some call it courageous…others call it oblivious. Mr. Lasser and his wife Catherine, who is a member of the library board's special interest group (known as “trustees”) have been rabid proponents of spending a lot more of your money in the budget in dutiful support of Minority Party Selectman Joni Park’s elitist Tax & Spend agenda.
Don’t Be Fooled, here are the FACTS:
The teacher’s union membership will receive a 4% raise under the current plan. While you are having your salary frozen or reduced, or are being laid off, you are being asked to indemnify teachers and protect them from the ravages of the current recession/depression.
Several non-union administrators have chosen to forgo their raises, and that's a good start.
The currently proposed budget – a 1.2% hike, if passed, will raise taxes about $100.00 to $150.00 per household and drive out even more than the 129 businesses that went under because of the poor economy or left town last year as the result of the town passing a 3.8% budget increase.
The On time, On budget BHS Construction Zone? The former Chairman of the Municipal Building Committee, Mr. George (Chip) Brown Jr., recently cited by the Board of Ethics for violating the State of Connecticut’s Freedom of Information Act, wildly accused the Board of Finance of conducting their “annual attack of the Town’s educational system”. However, what he did not inform the audience was the fact that it was during his leadership of the Municipal Building Committee that oversaw the recent High School renovation debacle, which after passage in 2002 still remains unfinished after 7 long years. It has had numerous cost overruns resulting in much of the project being value engineered to reduce cost.
This “No-Value Engineering" has reduced the scope of the renovation and resulted in a significantly reduced benefit to the students. The current graduating class has been unable to play home games during their entire four years due to the repeated failure to complete/fix an almost $1 million dollar artificial turf field despite multiple attempts on their part to do so.
The school was also a "construction site" for four years, as described by several parents. While mistakes happen, it was the Municipal building Committee’s and then First-Selectman Jerome Murphy’s repeated "on time - on budget" statements that resulted in errors not being addressed on a timely basis.
Denying problems exist is not the way to resolve them, except here in Brookfield. Open, honest and transparent dialog coupled with some perpetrators resigning would result in actual accountability.
Students missing their High School experience by living in a construction zone for years due to construction delays and ineptitude was of far greater impact on an entire class than any budget adjustments made by any of the Boards of Finance. Mr. Brown must realize that.
Additionally much of the work that was in the original $31 million dollar project, but was "value engineered" out, has been shifted to the Board of Education operating budget for you to pay yet again. DON’T BE FOOLED AGAIN.
Monies that could be spent on student busing has to now been allocated to cover items removed from the renovation project. This is impacting future classes and busing and resulting in longer days for the youngest students.
The results of the High school project and the lack of oversight on spending by the Board of Education has resulted in a fundamental mistrust of the entire Educational funding process. It is unfair to condemn the system because of oversight failures and a vacuum in leadership excellence, but the taxpayers, year after year reject the budget due to this "mistrust" as a vote against mismanagement and entitlements. Maybe the system should look at correcting the root cause, lack of accountability and a failure of leadership, if they truly want to better serve the students of Brookfield.
The Board of Education conducts the Teacher’s Union negotiations in secret, this does not evoke a feeling of trust with the voters. Worse they defend the teacher’s contract when asked to seek concession due to the economy as other school systems have done.
In short, deficiencies in the allocation tracking and accountability of the spending of tax dollars has resulted in denial of arguably necessary funds for our students.
Who/what is to blame? And how do we fix it? What individuals are obstructing open and timely access to records and information? Who is accountable?
Or, is blame being shifted by the Board of Education cartel and their special interest supporters to the Board of Finance messengers?
Perhaps the hysterical parents lobby (HPL) should ask these questions and demand answers from the Board of Education and Administrators who are squandering their money and their children’s quality of education. Their ire is misdirected.
YOU DECIDE.
Enough is Enough. Vote BUST FOR A ZERO TAX INCREASE.
A Board of Finance approved budget will go before the voters within the next six weeks. It was not unanimous.
After a long and drawn out debate over the dollar size and spending items in both the town and Board of Education budgets, the Board of Finance compromised with a 1.2% tax increase from its originally proposed 0% tax increase.
This was an attempt to satisfy a hysterical special interest group consisting of almost 200 parents (duped once again by the Board of Education cartel and Teacher’s Union), teachers and Municipal Building Commissioners, that attended the Tuesday night public hearing to have their own self-serving interests financed at your expense next year.
Last year’s budget hearing was attended by almost 600 residents and that budget was defeated at the polls by more than 600 voters due to the fact that they could simply not afford an almost 8% increase that the Education special interest group demanded last year. The Board of Finance originally proposed a Zero tax increase budget that cut more out of the Town side of the budget than the Education side, as a percentage of their respective budgets in the hopes of a reasonable compromise given this year's dire economic circumstances. Town lay offs have already begun as the current year revenues have fallen below projections due to the economic conditions of the region and Brookfield being no exception.
The “compromise” budget passed 5 to 1 with Finance Board member Howard Lasser, the rumored DTC First Selectman candidate, as the lone uncompromising vote. Some call it courageous…others call it oblivious. Mr. Lasser and his wife Catherine, who is a member of the library board's special interest group (known as “trustees”) have been rabid proponents of spending a lot more of your money in the budget in dutiful support of Minority Party Selectman Joni Park’s elitist Tax & Spend agenda.
Don’t Be Fooled, here are the FACTS:
The teacher’s union membership will receive a 4% raise under the current plan. While you are having your salary frozen or reduced, or are being laid off, you are being asked to indemnify teachers and protect them from the ravages of the current recession/depression.
Several non-union administrators have chosen to forgo their raises, and that's a good start.
The currently proposed budget – a 1.2% hike, if passed, will raise taxes about $100.00 to $150.00 per household and drive out even more than the 129 businesses that went under because of the poor economy or left town last year as the result of the town passing a 3.8% budget increase.
The On time, On budget BHS Construction Zone? The former Chairman of the Municipal Building Committee, Mr. George (Chip) Brown Jr., recently cited by the Board of Ethics for violating the State of Connecticut’s Freedom of Information Act, wildly accused the Board of Finance of conducting their “annual attack of the Town’s educational system”. However, what he did not inform the audience was the fact that it was during his leadership of the Municipal Building Committee that oversaw the recent High School renovation debacle, which after passage in 2002 still remains unfinished after 7 long years. It has had numerous cost overruns resulting in much of the project being value engineered to reduce cost.
This “No-Value Engineering" has reduced the scope of the renovation and resulted in a significantly reduced benefit to the students. The current graduating class has been unable to play home games during their entire four years due to the repeated failure to complete/fix an almost $1 million dollar artificial turf field despite multiple attempts on their part to do so.
The school was also a "construction site" for four years, as described by several parents. While mistakes happen, it was the Municipal building Committee’s and then First-Selectman Jerome Murphy’s repeated "on time - on budget" statements that resulted in errors not being addressed on a timely basis.
Denying problems exist is not the way to resolve them, except here in Brookfield. Open, honest and transparent dialog coupled with some perpetrators resigning would result in actual accountability.
Students missing their High School experience by living in a construction zone for years due to construction delays and ineptitude was of far greater impact on an entire class than any budget adjustments made by any of the Boards of Finance. Mr. Brown must realize that.
Additionally much of the work that was in the original $31 million dollar project, but was "value engineered" out, has been shifted to the Board of Education operating budget for you to pay yet again. DON’T BE FOOLED AGAIN.
Monies that could be spent on student busing has to now been allocated to cover items removed from the renovation project. This is impacting future classes and busing and resulting in longer days for the youngest students.
The results of the High school project and the lack of oversight on spending by the Board of Education has resulted in a fundamental mistrust of the entire Educational funding process. It is unfair to condemn the system because of oversight failures and a vacuum in leadership excellence, but the taxpayers, year after year reject the budget due to this "mistrust" as a vote against mismanagement and entitlements. Maybe the system should look at correcting the root cause, lack of accountability and a failure of leadership, if they truly want to better serve the students of Brookfield.
The Board of Education conducts the Teacher’s Union negotiations in secret, this does not evoke a feeling of trust with the voters. Worse they defend the teacher’s contract when asked to seek concession due to the economy as other school systems have done.
In short, deficiencies in the allocation tracking and accountability of the spending of tax dollars has resulted in denial of arguably necessary funds for our students.
Who/what is to blame? And how do we fix it? What individuals are obstructing open and timely access to records and information? Who is accountable?
Or, is blame being shifted by the Board of Education cartel and their special interest supporters to the Board of Finance messengers?
Perhaps the hysterical parents lobby (HPL) should ask these questions and demand answers from the Board of Education and Administrators who are squandering their money and their children’s quality of education. Their ire is misdirected.
YOU DECIDE.
Enough is Enough. Vote BUST FOR A ZERO TAX INCREASE.
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