A financial look at the Board of Education budget.

It is budget season.  The first to come to the table is the BoE.

Before I go into the numbers we realize that in 2012 many people have lost their jobs, or had their wages REDUCED.  We are still hobbling at best out of the last recession/depression and that is still years before we are out of the woods.  The people that pay taxes in 2013-2014 are doing so with REDUCED incomes because of higher tax burdens.  Remember EVERYONE’s pay check was reduced in January, and we hear from the Feds, and Malloy those checks will be reduced further by more tax increases or higher costs associated with higher use taxes, like sales taxes among others.  I have not mentioned the obvious costs of living that have increased like, food, gas, clothing and so forth.

We are now looking at an increase of 2.5% in the BoE budget to be saddled on the taxpayers’ backs, those same people who have NOT seen a raise in years, and whose NET incomes have been reduced!  Where is the fairness in this?  Is it far to ask those on a fixed income and just getting by to pay more versus putting oil in the fuel tank?  That Johnnie’s parents who work several jobs should work more jobs to pay for this? That is a question for those who are burdened with the additional costs.

Let’s look at the numbers.  We are looking at a budget of almost $64M if we divide that by the number of students we have of 3,279(est.) -- a REDUCTION of 3% from the current year -- the per student cost is $19,517 ($63,994,896/3,279).  An increase from $18,409 (62,443,130/3,392) per student last year.  That is a per pupil cost INCREASE of almost 6%.  How is that possible?, less students (-3.3%) and more money (+1.55M).

Ready for a really shocking set of numbers.  On the gross budget, reducing the student count by the total number of magnet school students, and then reducing the budget by the magnet school tuition costs, the remaining per student cost shoots up to $22,375 per student. I have not added Town of Windsor budget items that support education because that would probably create a per student cost of ~$24K per student.

Being a reasonable person the BoE budget should come in at a -0- increase because the student head count reduction of 3% should offset any increases with the fact that Magnet school students on average ‘cost’ us ~$2,500 per student and we INCREASED the number of students going to magnet schools by 5%.

I will tell you in advance that according to those reacting only viscerally or from a certain perspective will say I am anti-child/student, anti-education, anti-parent.  I am opposed to education, am a union buster, anti-teacher, anti-parent, and, well you do get the idea.

 How about a dose of honesty!   I am:
PRO child because EVERY child deserves the best education that child can attain! 
PRO parent because lack of parental involvement will yield diminishing returns and that IS what we see today!   
PRO Public Education in we need a solid PERFORMING public school system because it supports our futures -- the kids -- and it supports our housing values and the desire of many to LIVE in Windsor. 
PRO Taxpayer because education at any cost regardless of accountability hurts all of us! 

I am interested in the respectful comments of others on this increasing burden.