The approved budget reflects an increase of 1.7 percent.

By Ronni Newton

The West Hartford Board of Education approved the 2015-2016 budget by a vote of 4-2, making one minor modification to the original proposal presented by Superintendent Tom Moore on March 3.

Due to anticipated energy savings, the final budget was reduced by $206,000. The $148,370,424 budget represents an increase of 1.7 percent ($2,481,666) over the 2014-2015 West Hartford Public Schools budget of $145,888,758.

Both Republican board members voted against the budget, although both said the reason for voting “no” was not a reflection on the job the superintendent and other adminstrators had done putting the budget together.

Republican Jay Sarzen said that it really hit home when he and Mayor Scott Slifka met with the Duffy PTO last week and Slifka said that taxes would not be going up every year if not for the ECS underfunding.

Sarzen said that voting against the budget was making a statement that things can’t continue without a change at the state level. “That really put it there for me. We need to have our state realize that we are woefully underfunded,” Sarzen said.

Mark Zydanowicz, the other Republican on the board, said that by voting “no,” he wanted to send a message to State Sen. Beth Bye and State Rep. Andy Fleischmann – “two very powerful people sitting on powerful committees.”

Zydanowicz thanked Board Chair Mark Overmyer-Velazquez, Moore, Slifka, and board member Tammy Exum for testifying before the legislature regarding West Hartford’s underfunding, but felt he needed to make a statement about the more than $37 million that the state’s formula indicated West Hartford should have received last year. “I feel it’s important that we make a statement … send a message that says we’re serious about this that we want you to fight for us here in West Hartford,” Zydanowicz said.

“Certainly anyone who looks at ECS is pained, to say the least,” board member Terry Schmitt said, voicing the sentiment of his fellow Democrats that ECS – which the state has underfunded by $300 million over the past decade – should not be a reason to vote against the superintendent’s budget.

“Where I differ, the statement that I think really matters is that I want to support our schools,” Schmitt said. “I’m voting for it because I care about our kids and I care about our school system. A 1.7 percent increase is a minor investment to say how much we care about this.”

Member Bruce Putterman expressed his disappointment that the board could not come together for a unanimous 6-0 vote supporting the students and teachers.

“I think budgets are a vehicle for articulating our values as a board,” said Putterman. He said that this budget does a “reasonable job” articulating the board’s support for students, teachers, and adminstrators. “I don’t think budgets or budget night should be a forum for lobbying our legislators,” said Putterman.

Zydanowicz said he did not want his comments to be taken as lack of support for teacher and students, but as a way to rally the community to ask questions and pressure state leaders.

“With an extra $37 million, imagine what that could do to support students and teachers. If I’m drawing a line in the sand to make a point, so that we’re not holding hands and singing ‘Kumbaya,’ so be it. I’m merely stating that there’s more work to be done on the state and local level to get that funding.”

The Board of Education’s budget will become part of West Hartford’s overall budget, which the Town Council is expected to approve on April 20.

To read more about ECS and the testimony of West Hartford leaders before the legislature’s Appropriations Committee, click here.

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