MINUTES
PUBLIC HEARING
BOARD OF FINANCE
MAY 9, 2006
A PUBLIC HEARING was held by the Board of Finance on Tuesday,
May 9, 2006 at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers on the proposed budget for the Torrington Public Schools, for the fiscal period July 1, 2006 to June 30, 2007.
Those in attendance included Mayor Ryan J. Bingham, members of the Board of Finance Daniel Farley, Bruce Cornish, Mark Bushka, Joseph Nader, and James Zeller, members of the Board of Education A. Bates Lyons, Douglas O’Connell, Elinor Carbone, Robert Lutka, Wendy Traub, Heidi Laus, and Michael Broverman, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Susan O’Brien, Director of Business Services Nancy Haynes, Director of Human Services Gary Lambour, Director of Pupil Services Judith Babcock and City Comptroller Alice Proulx. Board of Finance member James Nichol and Board of Education members Paul Cavegnero, Chairman, David Oliver and Valerie Royals were absent.
Mayor Bingham called the meeting to order at 7:12 p.m.
City Clerk, Joseph L. Quartiero, read the legal notice.
Mayor Bingham turned the meeting over to Dr. O’Brien for her presentation of the proposed budget.
For the presentation in its entirety, please refer to the minutes of the Special Joint Meeting of the Board of Finance and the Board of Education immediately preceding this meeting at 5:00 p.m. or hear Tape #236.
Bruce Cornish, Board of Finance’s Liaison to the Board of Education, stated that the board’s role will be to deal with the bottom line of the school budget and try to determine how much the residents of Torrington are willing and able to pay prior to setting the mill rate on May 23rd.
The following people spoke in favor of the budget and urged the Board of Finance to approve the proposed school budget, as presented:
Beth Michalec, Marjorie Petterson, Ann Lindner, Chris Comeau, Sally Pirla, Bob Pirla, George Rolfe, Noel Croce, Debra Brown, Julie Fabiaschi, Margaret Beecher, Lucille Paige, and Mary Bucaccio.
They specifically stated that they were in favor of retaining the reading teacher at East School and the teaching positions in the Star Reading Program, the TAG Program, the increase of services and the pre school program at the high school, the arts performance groups, the Early Reading Intervention Program, the additional special education personnel, and were in favor of doing whatever is necessary to retain the accreditation at the high school. They were also in favor of re-instating the Middle School Sports Program.
The public urged a show of support for the Superintendent as well as the Board of Education. It was said that they worked diligently to restore Torrington’s educational system. Through years of neglect, indiscriminate budget cuts, incompetent leadership, and uninformed spending practices, our schools have been led to the edge of ruin. It’s no surprise that crime is on the upswing and industry is reluctant to relocate here. Torrington now has a competent, purpose-driven educational team with a good sense of direction that can, with hard work and tough decisions, return and even surpass what the educational system once was.
This is the first year of many that the public can believe the honesty and integrity of all aspects of the school district budget. There is no hint that the school administration nor the board is playing politics by using data that enables them to look good.
Making certain all the children are appropriately educated is the most effective step a city can take. It’s less costly to spend the money to insure that students will become productive members of society than to have to support an illiterate or ignorant person throughout his/her life span.
An investment in the Board of Education budget is an investment in Torrington’s future.
Mayor Bingham thanked those who spoke, as well as those who attended this public hearing in regard to the Board of Education budget. He was certain the Board of Finance would make a well educated decision.
Mayor Bingham declared the public hearing closed at 8:06 p.m.
ATTEST: JOLINE LeBLANC
ASST. CITY CLERK
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