The Westport Board of Education will seek to restore $500,000 cut from its budget by the Board of Finance when the budget goes before the Representative Town Meeting (RTM) in May.
School officials met with two RTM committees Wednesday night—the Finance Committee and the Education Committee—to outline their reasons for seeking restoration.
The Board of Education had originally asked for Board of Finance approval of a 2.13 percent increase in the 2010-11 budget to $96.87 million. The finance board’s reduction resulted in a 1.6 percent increase.
“A 2.13 percent increase maintains programs and services while a 1.6 percent does not,” the educators said in documents presented to the committees.
“We must avoid a slow erosion to the stellar educational experiences currently available to our students, never to be regained once lost.”
The committees took no action on the Board of Education’s request.
They and other RTM committees will make recommendations on the budget prior to the May 3 and 4 sessions.
How about the slow erosion of the mind and spirt of stellar citzens who are facing steadily increasing as well as new taxes and fees on the Federal and State level.