Friday, May 29, 2009

Middletown School Board intends to use stimulus package to RAISE your taxes

More Good Spam:

My name is Laura Wilton and you should know that I am a fiscal conservative and
an advocate for transparency in government. I am writing because I am incensed
at the financial irresponsibility and deceptiveness being used by the Middletown
Board of Education to raise your taxes.

During this school year taxpayers received news from the Board that a new Full
Day FREE preschool would be provided to residents in September of 2009. This
would be followed by a new FREE full day kindergarten program in 2010. What
they didn't tell you was how their failure to research their proposal would
result in the program being cancelled and leaving taxpayers to foot the the bill
for their hasty decisions and contract cancellations.

Specifically, the district needed 129 low income families (family of four
earning under $39,000) to register for the preschool program in order to secure
their funding. Prior to the registration, they contracted to lease and renovate
space in Hazlet to house the preschool program. They also contracted a teacher
to run the program at a salary of approximately $100,000. They received well
under 100 applications. So, they lost the funding and cancelled the lease,
renovation contracts and employment contract. The public has not been told of
any of this or its cost.

Now faced with criticism because many in the district wanted full day
kindergarten, they are attempting to use ARRA (stimulus money) and IDEA (for
students with disabilities) funds to fund full day kindergarten. Please note
that these monies are intended by the federal government to provide a ONE TIME
boost to local governments. Municipalities have been specifically warned not to
use these monies to fund programs that are continuing; thereby requiring taxes
to be raised to keep them going. While I know many of you desire full day
kindergarten, the way the Board is approaching this issue is wrong. They should
propose full day kindergarten to the voters in a budget. We just passed a
budget last month that had no mention of full day kindergarten. What they
intend is to use stimulus money to get it going and then when the money runs
out, put it to the voters as "if you don't pass our increased budget you'll lose
your full day kindergarten." This is underhanded to say the least.

Moreover, while keeping their intentions secret from the public, they have
announced to the teachers and aides of the Multiage Kindergarten that their
program for developmentally immature children will be cut in order to make room
for their new plan. The Multiage Kindergarten saves taxpayers money. It does
so, by identifying children who will struggle in a typical kindergarten before
they even begin. Many of these children would otherwise repeat a grade early in
their education. Having their issues addressed at the beginning of their
academic career provides them the opportunity to succeed. The cost savings are
realized in less Administrative, Child Study Team and Special Education
services. The students benefit academically, socially and emotionally from
success in school. Cutting the Multiage Kindergarten will cost us more in tax
dollars.

I urge you to attend a meeting on Board's proposal on Tuesday June 2 at 7 pm at
Middletown High School North and for you to forward this to all Middletown
residents.

Thank you for your consideration,

Laura Wilton

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ah yes, little Patty Walsh strikes again. This individual was the candidate that the Democrats tried to foist upon Middletown last year, and the candidate who Pat Short and Sean Byrnnes campaigned so hard for. That is why it is imperative to not only knock out Corzine in November, but every Democrat on the county and local level as well.

Anonymous said...

just spoke to a good member of the BOE in Middletown and thank God, they put loophole in the YMCA contract and no funding from the state, no contract!

No tax monies spent or lost!