MINUTES
PUBLIC HEARING
April 20, 2016
A PUBLIC HEARING was held by the Board of Finance in the City Hall Auditorium on Wednesday, April 20, 2016.
Present were Mayor Elinor Carbone and Board of Finance members Chris Diorio, Laurene Pesce, Mark Bushka, Frank Rubino, Joshua Ferreira and Christopher Anderson. Also present were Board of Education members Kenneth Traub, Fiona Cappabianca, Jessica Richardson, Ellen Hoehne, Peter Vergaro, Daniel Thibault, William Knight, Armand Maniccia and James Lamoin, along with Interim Superintendent Lynda Reitman and Business Services Director Jerry Domanico.
Mayor Carbone called the public hearing to order at 7:16 p.m., explaining that no decisions will be made at this time as the Board of Education will continue to work on additional economies.
Asst. City Clerk Carol Anderson read the legal notice.
BOARD OF EDUCATION BUDGET
Beth Murphy, a Board of Education Student Services employee, spoke about the damage done when the Board of Education budget is underfunded, saying a good school system is a key factor in a prosperous community.
Melissa Reginatto from Albrecht Road spoke in favor of keeping the THS Cheerleading program in the budget, saying all sports should be cut equally and they will fundraise if necessary.
Liza Rosa of Jones Street, a Vogel Wetmore teacher for twelve years, blamed administrative inconsistency and noted that, over the past 12 years, teachers’ wage and step-increase sacrifices may total as much as $32,000,000.
She noted that teachers have ideas to help save district money, but are not asked for them. Ms. Rosa said the community is responsible for giving students a high quality education.
Penny Fisher of Greenridge Road said that she is considering moving out of Torrington due to this budget proposal and the possible tax increase, saying it is frightening. She said that it is time to turn this town around.
Melissa Viscariello of Morningside Drive spoke in opposition of closing East School or cutting middle school sports.
She asked what the administration is giving up, saying that cuts should be made at the top levels, and spoke in support of keeping the THS Cheerleading team.
Ms. Cappabianca noted that four administrators are included in the budget cuts.
Jim Coons of Arbor Ridge Road said the future of Torrington is at stake and the Board of Education budget drastically underfunds the educational needs of our children. He said bold action is needed to solve Torrington’s problems and active funding has to be available to move positively into the future.
Barbara Morris of Harwinton Avenue expressed her disappointment in the budget, saying the investment of time and money per pupil should be considered. She said a cut in a Family Consumer Science position would affect 20% of the high school population and result in less federal funding.
Rosemarie Fisi of Central Avenue spoke against budget cuts and noted how the Board of Education agonized over the drastic cuts and their effect on the students.
Jeff Gryniuk of Garden Street spoke against unfair staffing levels and budget cuts made to an elementary school that is half the size of another. He asked the Board of Education to avoid painting each elementary school with the same broad brush.
John Sullivan of Prospect Street spoke against the loss of funding for CAFTA’s High School Options Program, saying the privatization of art education offers a significant cost savings.
Alex Matolesy of Wimbledon Gate North expressed his concern about school closure and urged that the budget be passed.
Luisa Noujaim of Bridle Circle spoke about how difficult it is for students to commute to another city and said this is a call to action, a crisis and a tough budget.
Jason Lafreniere a local teacher from Simsbury questioned our taxation, commended the Board of Finance members who attended the Board of Education meetings and said that in the end, it comes down to what’s best for our students.
Michael Driscoll of Cider Mill Crossing said he did not hear any concern for the taxpayers expressed. He offered to donate half the money needed for the Cheerleading program, saying they can fundraise the rest. He said the taxpayers have to be kept in mind.
Darlene Battle of Red Mountain Avenue said our legislators have to be brought in to explain to us why they issue these educational mandates.
Paul Cavagnero called for a Charter Revision to create a mechanism to allow the Board of Education and City Council to work together jointly with the Board of Finance throughout the year. He said the Charter Revision Commission should draft precise revisions to the special education funding mechanism, get other municipalities to buy into it and present it to our legislators as a better model. He said we need to be proactive and that elected officials need to step up to the plate and provide leadership.
Dr. Thomas Offerdahl of Birchwood Drive noted how devastated his daughter is at the prospect of the swimming program being cut. He noted that alternative cuts could be made, such as the $168,000 for lights and a high school sidewalk that does not seem to need repair.
Jennifer Matava of Beechwood Avenue asked the Board to reconsider the proposed cuts and make honors program students a priority as well. She said that cuts in sports, stem programs and technology send the message to honors program students that they are less important than special education students are because there are fewer resources for them to continue their love of learning.
Jeffrey Putnam of Fairlawn Drive urged the Board and community to come up with a way to help keep students in district and provide services to all the children. He said we have to start thinking longer-term.
Michael Smith noted how Torrington schools fall behind Florida schools in mathematics. He said he would like to see the Board rethink the budget cuts and come up with a more creative plan, as this budget is a major injustice to the children and taxpayers of this town.
Eric Matava, a Torrington Middle School athlete said he was very saddened to hear that sports were being cut from the middle school next year, and said the students would like to continue doing sports.
Mayor Carbone agreed with Mr. Matava and said our young people should be engaged in after school sports and activities that keep their bodies and minds healthy.
With no further interest expressed, the public hearing was closed at 8:45 p.m.
ATTEST: JOSEPH L. QUARTIERO, CMC
CITY CLERK
Carol L. Anderson, MCTC, CMC
Asst. City Clerk
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