Taxpayer group lies

I haven’t seen the flier that town officials are so upset about, but it’s yet another indication that we can’t trust what the West Hartford Taxpayers Association has to say about the budget. Read the story in today’s Courant. I do wish the reporter had made more of an effort to tell us who’s right, however, because the he said-she said thing is stupid in a case like this. One side is correct and the other is lying.

I’m betting that the town manager is telling the truth because he has more to lose.

The best reason to vote yes on the referendum is to endorse the town over these fake advocates for taxpayers, who are pushing for ever more cuts even after they got a massive reduction in needed education spending.

School budget slicing and dicing

At the hearing last night, the Board of Education heard lots of ideas for paring the proposed budget, according to today’s story in The Hartford Courant.

“Hall junior Alex Porter suggested reducing the school year by four days to trim costs,” reporter Fulvio Cativo wrote in his story. He added that school board members said that’s an idea that’s being explored.

Board members “said they would consider eliminating curriculum specialists, cutting the funds for conferences and meetings and discontinuing Norfeldt School’s magnet program,” the story reported.

Bruce Putterman, one of the school board members, said cutting all-day kindergarten is not on the table unless the referendum leads to a defeat for the budget.

Theresa McGrath, of the West Hartford Taxpayers Association, warned, “This is not the year to play politics or scare tactics,” according to the paper. That’s almost funny.

But I especially liked this: “People don’t move to West Hartford for the tax breaks, they move to West Hartford for the education,” said Kiernan Majerus-Collins, one of two Bristow Middle School sixth-grade students, who asked the board to save the Quest gifted and talented program.

That’s right on the money, kid.