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Enough Belt Tightening?

The truth is inconvenient and uncomfortable. The enrollment of students in the town of Clinton public schools has been reduced by 22.5 percent since 2001. Mathematical facts are potent. But the Board of Education Budget has never been reduced since then. An additional increase in spending is voted upon and sometimes reduced, but never remains the same as the budget amount from the previous year. Never.

Last year, voters were forced to pay an additional 10.2 percent tax increase. This year the request is for a 4.9 percent tax increase.

Was enough belt tightening done? This is an objective reality, independent of what people want reality to be. The boards fail to see that a vote “No” is the start of a negotiation. Hiding or ignoring the facts is not the same as changing them.

The past policy is to reduce just small bits of this annual spending, and hope to wear down voters with repeated small cuts at multiple budget referendums. Clinton boards should play fair. They are responsible for tax increases.

Ona Nejdl

Clinton

Ona Nejdl (R) serves on the Board of Finance.