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Volume 52, No. 5
State of our Town By Alex Syphers Staff Writer
During the Newington Chamber of Commerce “State of the Town” address Thursday morning, Newington’s Mayor, R-Jeff Wright, hit out against the Newington Board of Education’s fiscal policies, calling administrative and teacher salary increases and the expenditure of the board’s Health Benefits Fund surplus, “unsustainable” spending, which is negatively affecting Newington’s taxpayers. “We are in a recession, a tough recession, businesses are hurting. We have to change our philosophy. I don’t think tacking taxes at 3 percent is enough anymore,” said Wright. “We need an operational pause for the taxpayers of Newington. We need to have a few years in a row of zero percent tax increases.” The Board of Education has requested a budget of $61,576,654 for the fiscal year 2011-2012, a 3.9 percent increase over last year’s budget. With the inclusion of a $738,638 Federal Education Jobs Fund Grant, the increase is reduced
Friday, February 18, 2011
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to 2.69 percent. During his three years in office, Wright claimed the town’s operating budget has increased by 1 percent, totaling $28,491,420, during the fiscal year 2010-2011, while the Board of Education’s budget has increased, on average, 3.4 percent over the last three years. “We [the town] have controlled the increases on our side,” said Wright. “Our challenge is the increases the Board of Education needs.” Employee salaChris Richie | Staff ries, which account Jeffrey Wright speaks during Newington’s annual state of the town address at for 85 percent of the Mayor Newington High School Feb. 10. board’s budget, were exorbitant, Wright claimed; increasing on average each Benefits Account, which funds the because surpluses are there.” fiscal year by 5.6 percent, with 45 system’s insurance program, saying After the presentation Woods percent of Newington’s teachers that the board’s spending of surplus explained that the surplus funds in making $80,000 or more. monies in the fund was costing the Health Benefits Account are “We can’t afford to give giant Newington’s taxpayers. According spent on items the school system increases to our employees on the to an agreement made between the has identified as areas of need. backs of our taxpayers,” said Wright. town and the Board of Education “We are in a hard place,” said “It’s unacceptable.” in 1996, any surplus funds in the Woods. “We need to provide a The salary increase was set dur- account at the end of the fiscal year proper education but we also have ing contract negotiations with the could be used by the board. At the to be respectful to the abilities of Newington Teachers Association end of the 2009-2010 fiscal year the taxpayer to be able to afford Union in 2007, said Board of there was a surplus of $644,595, that. If we had a good year in health Education Chairman Stephen which the board spent on special benefits, those things that we had to Woods; the contract is set to expire education programs and teaching defer — books pencils paper buses in the 2012-2013 fiscal year. materials. The town had a surplus — that is what we spend it on.” The board’s proposed staff cost of $195,049 at the end of the 2009 “We have taken a system that for the 2011-2012 school year was to 2010 fiscal year. was about to fail,” continued Woods $41,818,064 a 3.8 percent increase “The town essentially produces about Newington’s public schools, over the 2010-2011 fiscal year with those surpluses by themselves. We “and we made it into a great system, the possible loss of 24 teaching posi- never see a substantial surplus come not a good system, a great system, tions. Wright also touched upon the from the Board of Education,” said and if you look at it we have done Newington Public School’s Health Wright,” ... surpluses can’t be spent that with very minimum dollars.”