Superintendent Dr. Colleen Palmer will be holding an informational meeting and Q and A session  Tuesday, March 7, in the Bedford Middle School Auditorium at 7:30 p.m.

Because of a $1 billion state budget shortfall, state support to towns will be cut which means towns will have to figure out how to pay for programs and where to cut.

Dr. Palmer sent the following message to all parents and staff members:

Dear Families of Westport Students,

Important and Timely Budget News
In February, the Westport Board of Education adopted a requested 2.44% budget increase for the 2017-18 school year.  As part of the Town process to finalize the all-encompassing Town budget, the Board of Finance now reviews both the proposed education budget and those departmental budgets presented by First Selectman Jim Marpe for other Town services.  However, in these unprecedented times of fiscal pressure created by the State of Connecticut, the Board of Finance has a challenging situation before it in determining our Town budget that includes the education budget.

Within the past two years, the State has eliminated the approximate $2M of funding to Westport from the Educational Cost Sharing Grant, proposing to zero out this account for Westport next year.  Additionally, the Governor’s proposed formula for a new grant to municipalities for special education next year will also reduce aid to Westport in this area by an estimated $300k – $400k.  On the Town side of things, direct aid to the Town has also been reduced in multiple areas.  Most significantly, the Governor has proposed that to help offset the State budget deficit, that approximately $400M of required annual contributions for the Teacher Retirement Fund be shifted to local municipalities next year.  In the case of Westport, if this proposal is adopted as part of the State budget, Westport would receive a bill from the State for approximately $6M.

The timing of final decisions for all of these items will not be fully determined until the State adopts its budget.  We have been told by many legislators not to expect this State budget to be finalized before the summer, if not longer.  Obviously, if the Town needs to settle its budget before the State has finalized its budget, all municipalities throughout the State are making decisions without complete information as they determine their fiscal plans for next year.

This evening, the Westport Board of Finance will hold a special meeting in the Town Hall auditorium at 8:00 p.m. to consider what steps Westport must take to address these fiscal pressures from Hartford on our local Town budget.  The meeting will begin with public comment, and then the Board of Finance will hold a discussion among its members regarding next steps.  We are quickly approaching the target date of March 16 at which the Board of Finance is scheduled to vote on the education budget before sending it on to the RTM.  The meeting will also be broadcast live on local cable stations and streamed from the Town website.

To provide further information to parents/guardians on the Board of Education’s adopted budget, I will hold two informational sessions with Q&A as follows:

• Tuesday, March 7, 7:30 p.m. in the Bedford Middle School auditorium

• Wednesday, March 8, 11:30 a.m. in the Town Hall auditorium

No need to RSVP to either session: just drop in if you are interested.  Our goal is for you to have accurate information at your fingertips regarding the education budget and to have your questions answered.

These are not easy times for any community with the turbulent backdrop of our State budget that faces a billion dollar plus deficit next year, and for the next few years to come.  I thank you in advance for your thoughtful consideration of these issues.  Please do not hesitate to contact me with your questions and/concerns regarding any of the above-mentioned items.
Sincerely,

Colleen Palmer