By James Lomuscio

One after the other and with no time limits, more than two dozen parents, PTA members, alumni and a few students came to the podium at Wednesday night’s Board of Finance meeting,

Isabella Mariani, 6, a first grader at Saugatuck Elementary School, was among Westport students who showed up at the meeting to support restoration. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

There, they extolled the value of the Westport school system, the reason many said they moved to town, and they urged the finance board to restore $700,000 to next year’s operating budget.

The finance board listened intently but more than four and a half hours later at 1:08 a.m. today by a 5 to 2 vote gave back only $310,000 of the $1.674 million it had cut from the schools’ $115.35 proposed operating budget, which had been a 2.44 percent increase over the current year.

With the restoration and the addition of $480,000 from the school’s health reserve fund approved by the school board Monday night, the 2017-18 operating budget now stands at $113.65 million. It will go to the Representative Town Meeting (RTM) in early May for final approval and a possible vote for full restoration of the $700,000.

Fourth graders from Westport’s workshop (gifted) program have advanced to the state finals of the national Invention Convention competition. They moved up following the weekend’s Western Connecticut Regionals in Danbury. The state competition will take place April 29 at UConn in Storrs. The winners will advance to the national competition at the U.S. Trademark and Patent office in Alexandria, Virginia in June. Pictured (l-r) are Lucas Ceballos-Cala and Pierce Brown of Coleytown Elementary, Kate Watkins and Samantha Henske of Kings Highway Elementary. Their teachers are Priscilla Jones of Kings Highway and Eileen Carroll of Coleytown. The Connecticut Invention Convention is a nonprofit educational program designed to develop and enhance critical thinking skills in children in grades K-8 through invention, innovation and entrepreneurship, while encouraging interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed photo

Parents opposed to cuts in Westport’s proposed 2017-18 education budget of $115.3 million — a 2.44 percent increase over the current year — have taken to attaching scissors to mailboxes with red tape in protest. They have also mounted an online petition. The Board of Finance, which cut $1.67 million from the education budget, will meet Wednesday night to consider a Board of Education request to restore $700,000 of the cut. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

The Westport school system wants your feedback on how it is doing.

The Board of Education’s Strategic Planning Committee is leading the effort as part of its development of a “multi-year comprehensive strategic plan for the district,” an announcement said today.

The committee has developed an online survey that requests people’s opinions regarding the strengths and areas of growth for the Westport Public Schools.

All community members, including parents, faculty, alumni, and residents without children in the school system, are invited to participate, the announcement said.

By James Lomuscio

After three hours of grueling numbers crunching, Westport’s Board of Education tonight voted unanimously to ask for a $700,000 restoration from the Board of Finance when it meets Wednesday night.

Members of the Board of Education take a vote at tonight’s meeting. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

On March 16 the finance board cut $1.674 million from the school board’s $115,351,346 proposed school budget for 2017-18, a 2.44 percent increase over the current year.

At the beginning of tonight’s meeting the Board of Education voted 6 to 1 to offset the Board of Finance’s cut by $480,000 by reducing its health reserve fund from 8 to 5 percent, which had been recommended by Schools Superintendent Colleen Palmer.

While all who voted said it was not an ideal move and it posed risks, they agreed it was a needed short-term fix. That reduced the finance board cut to $1.194 million.