The Wilton School Budget – A Critical Perspective

I have three young children: one in Miller Driscoll, one in Cider Mill, and one in pre-school. I am VERY concerned about their education in Wilton. If I could afford to send them all to private school I would. I believe that the current quality of education in Wilton is high but unless something is done, that will change before my children are in High School.

Each year seems to be a repeat of the last. The union contracts consume a larger and larger piece of the budget pie, the BOE tugs on the heart strings by threatening larger class sizes and cuts to core programs, and the PTA rallies the "Raise My Taxes" troops.

I have not received a pay raise since 2007. I consider myself lucky. Many more in town are less fortunate and have lost their jobs, burned through their retirement and savings, and are now desperately trying to hold on to their devalued homes. Yet rather than represent the students and residents of Wilton, the Board of Education chooses to take its direction from the Wilton Superintendent who, according to Gil Bray in the now infamous email, only recommended on Feb 1st of this year that the Board meet “to discuss its strategy for addressing the question of concessions”. This says two things. First, the BOE leadership is taking its direction not from the citizens of Wilton who elected them but from the School Administration they were elected to oversee.  Second, the BOE and the SI both lack the courage and/or desire to stand up to the union leadership and fight for Wilton.

The BOE also refuses to even consider pay to play. Why? As a parent of 3 I would be more than willing to pay $250 a year or more if it meant they did not cut language courses. The argument against pay to play is that you make it unaffordable for some families to participate in sports. Wouldn't continued increases in taxes make it unaffordable for some families to continue to live in Wilton and therefore unable to participate in Math and Science in Wilton schools? I would fully support pay to play and even pay an amount which would fund families that need help. But the BOE will not even entertain this as an option.

Also, I have read on one of the online local publications that there are about 23 students who are children of district employees who are not residents of Wilton. Do we receive any compensation from their towns? Are any of these students’ special needs children who require even higher associated costs? If this benefit is not part of the union contracts it needs to be addressed.

At the same time, many of our best teachers would fare better in a performance based compensation model. Instead, the most talented and hardest working teachers receive the same raises as everyone else regardless of performance. Imagine if we would replace the current system with one more similar to the private sector. Not only would that decrease overall costs but would attract the best teachers to our town.

I would gladly support higher taxes if I believed that our funds were being spent wisely and that the added funds were needed to maintain the high quality of the schools. Because I do not believe that, I cannot support this budget.

People who argue to "raise my taxes" are speaking out from their heart and a genuine desire to provide their children with the best possible education. I understand and share that goal. But I also think that ignores the responsibility of the BOF to ALL residents, as they are the guiding body in the budget process. It also emboldens the BOE and SI to continue along the same old path without challenging the status quo.

Dr. Richards talked about bringing our education system into the 21st century. Let’s hold him to that commitment and all that it entails. Let’s get it done.