Packed Public Hearing Brings Impassioned Citizens to Town Hall

In a crowded Town Council chamber Wednesday, citizens, parents and educators rose to speak about the proposed $36 million schools budget.

Superintendent Pam Aubin’s budget proposal was for $36,789,692, an increase of 1.43 percent.

The mayor’s proposed budget for the schools is $36,270,035, an increase of 1 percent.

Teachers have agreed to have no raises or step increases in pay in the 2011-2012 school year.

The meeting opened with an introduction by School Board Chairman Dave Rowley, and a PowerPoint presentation by Superintendent Aubin.

She spoke about the pride that she, the educators and the town have in the schools, and about the many awards and accolades that have been won by teachers, the Board of Education, the schools themselves, and the students.

She talked about the , and , a native Tibetan who just won a Gates Millennium Scholarship.

Lhamo is one of 1,000 students across the U.S. who have won the scholarships, which will pay for her entire college tuition, and funding for graduate studies, as well.

She showed a presentation of a project being worked on by Adam Bowles, about the program, and the students and their journey.

She talked about the educators, administrators and staffers who work in the Montville schools, and have helped the school system earn statewide recognition not only for education, but also for “improving school climate,” for sports and for extracurricular pursuits.

After the presentation, citizens rose to speak.

Most of them urged the Town Council to pass the budget – not as the mayor proposed it, at a 1 percent increase, but as Aubin proposed it, at a 1.43 percent increase.

Again and again, people talked about how the Montville schools figured in their decisions to move to town.

Rocco Basilica, a professional firefighter in New London, said he had lived in New London, and then chose to move to Montville – in large part because of the schools.

“I know that my sons will be prepared for college,” he said. “The staff, the choices that Pam Aubin has made, they’re all excellent. The schools are safe, they’re clean, and my children come home with a restored sense of pride.”

Jeremiah Ross, a retired Navy chief with a background in education, said he and his wife chose to move here, in part because of the schools. They have a daughter in fourth grade at the Murphy school, he said, “And I’ll tell you, that school is phenomenal. You couldn’t ask for a better team.”

Liz Dumond, who is a teacher, spoke as a parent.

When she and her husband decided to move to Montville, she said, a factor in their decision, above all else, was the schools.

And though she is a taxpayer, with a house that has lessened in value, she is willing and happy, even, to pay what is needed to support the school system.

Not everyone was quite so happy.

Dale Eichholz, a resident of the town for more than 50 years, came to ask that the superintendent’s staff be reduced.

“It’s top-heavy,” she said. “I can think of two positions that could go and save you $300,000.”

She said she didn't want to see a single class cut or one teacher laid off. But a friend she has had for decades said she might have to leave town because she couldn't pay the taxes.

Kevin Fritch said that he fully supports "a quality education system for our town, but quality education is not always a function of how much you spend on it."

He asked the council to consider the reality of economic hardship in town. Unemployment is more than 8 percent, wages have been frozen and people have taken pay cuts at many places, including Mohegan Sun, he said.

“People aren’t worried about planning their next vacations,” he said. “They are worried about paying their mortgages."

Joel Farrior, a teacher and the president of the teachers' union, talked about some of the kids who are not necessarily the ones who win awards and recognition, and what the schools mean to them.

For some of these kids, he said, home is not a home. For some of them, being present in school is a huge accomplishment. For some of them, school is the best thing in their lives.

If you reduce the number of teachers, he said, those kids can fall through the cracks. Teachers give in class, they give out of class, they give from the heart and from the pocketbook and from their experience, he said.

"They give, and they will continue to give, because they value those signs ("We're proud of our schools") more than anyone in this town," he said.

"Leadership," he told the council, "is stepping up and doing what is right."