Budget Season Begins In East Windsor

A small crowd attended a public hearing Wednesday which serves as the official kickoff for budget season in East Windsor.

The town charter mandates that the boards of education and selectmen hold the public hearing to allow residents a chance to voice their opinion about the budget before the spending plan is put together.

“We’re supposed to be working from a clean slate without any preconceived notions until we hear from the public,”  First Selectwoman Denise E. Menard said.

The hearing, which lasted about 30 minutes, did not garner a lot of comments from the public.

Joseph Pellegrini, a board of finance member, said with the two boards having a lot of new faces there may be some new ideas they can offer.

“Don’t be afraid to try new things,” Pellegrini said. “Just because it hasn’t been done before is not a reason to not try something.”

Richard Sullivan, a Rye Street resident, said he believes the school district needs to concentrate on the teaching the basics such as reading and math. Students’ learning can grow from knowing those basics, he said.

“The success of the schools is not in how many doctors and lawyers it turns out but the quality of the citizens it produces for the country,” Sullivan said.

Lois Noble, a Wells Road resident, asked if East Windsor school officials reach out to other school systems and private schools to see what they’re doing to help students.

Superintendent of Schools Theresa Kane said school officials have been visiting other districts who have been using successful strategies to educate students. Kane also said there is a need to concentrate on the basics of reading and math for students in East Windsor.

“If they can’t do the basics, then we haven’t been doing our jobs,” Kane said. “They have to be able to read and they have to be able to do math to succeed in anything.”

Cobblestone Drive resident Adam Mehan asked town officials if they had any feeling about how state funding might affect East Windsor.

Menard said Gov. Dannel Malloy has said he wants this to be the education year so there might not be any substantial changes in educational cost sharing with the towns.

Board of Finance Chairman Jason Bowsza said the revenue projections for the state are not as rosy originally believed. There is a possibility there will be reductions in municipal funding, he said.

 
Bowsza said if there is a reduction in education cost sharing he hopes the legislature would tweak the minimum budget requirements for school budgets. Municipalities would have to make up the difference in funding if state legislators cut funding but didn’t change the requirements.

“They would essentially be telling the town’s to increase property taxes,” Bowsza said.

Selectman James Richards said the town has been working hard on economic development to increase the Grand List. Officials hope bringing more commercial development in the town will help grow tax revenue, he said.