001sound check. I can hear you. Father God. That's perfect. Big cast out the hallway. That's going to be the one. I do see my Riverside from where I was on feasibility committee. each. My prediction I'll make a motion. Good evening everyone. Good evening. Sorry to interrupt conversations, but we'll get started in a few minutes. But if you want to speak, there are signup sheets at this table in the front right here. Um, so if you haven't signed up and you want to speak, please come sign up. Thank you. How are you? Hi there. I know things you might want to write down. Samantha. Yes, Samantha. No. Okay. I have a new folder. Now in one second problem is they keep nowhere to plug. No, I think they should. I wish they had something in the
002front of our chair so that they didn't see our feet. They're looking right in. What's wrong with your feet? Oh, you stick your legs down. That's why I wore pants. I just wish I had There she is. Scott, why did you say she's not? She just sent us I did run out of juice. So you can tell I don't respond. Good evening. Good evening everyone. My name is Harry Fischer. I'm the chairman of the board of estimate and taxation and I'm calling to order the public hearing, the first of two public hearings um in relation to the fiscal 2526 budget. Um tonight is devoted solely to the school budget. Um uh if you didn't get that message and you're here for the for the other rest of the it it's tomorrow night at town hall
003meeting room also at 7 o'clock. So I'm going to um call people up. We've got everybody the signup slips here. Um again if you wanted to speak and you haven't signed up please come down to the front table. Um I'll call a name and I'll call the next person. Uh, a reminder, you're limited to three minutes. Um, if you um have heard your comments before and you'd like to endorse those comments, that would be appreciated by us in order to expedite matters, but we're not intending to limit limit anything. So the first speaker is I believe it's May Collins and the second speaker is Gabrielle Leah. And forgive me in advance if I if I don't pronounce names correctly, but Miss Collins. Oh, and please remember there's a threeminut limit and Pete Manarski sitting next
004to the podium will be holding up signs and reminding everybody as as we go forward. Sorry. Oh, okay. Is it on? Hello. Okay. Hi. Uh good evening members of the board of estimation and taxation. We are Greenwich High School's student policy initiative club, a student organization that seeks to represent the interests of ghs students and the broader Greenwich community through policym. My name is May Collins and I'm here to support the full funding of the budget as proposed by the board of education. We are here tonight because we're concerned about the current budget plan and its potential impact on Greenwich High School staffing. We're aware that the proposed budget is based upon fixed costs, which are primarily contractual obligations that can increase each year. However, we ask you to consider how additional funding would benefit
005Greenwich High. If you cast your mind back to being in high school, you may remember it being stressful. However, it's made a really wonderful time by the incredible educ educators who help high schoolers through their most crucial and developmental years. The quality of education that Greenwich public schools offers is a tremendous asset to the town of Greenwich, attract attracting dozens of families every year. The accomplishments of Greenwich High School students that continue to be a point of pride have been made possible by the Greenwich High School staff and the immense opportunities that they provide, including programs such as clubs, academic re and academic research. They are the reason for our excellence as students. They're the reason we stand here today. However, recent budget reductions have already placed significant strain on our school's staff run programs
006and further cuts to staffing would half the offerings that make Greenwich High School so unique. If our budget is not fully funded, then education suffers, impacting the overall quality and desiraability of our community. We're fearful that any cuts to our budget may lead to the loss of some of these wonderful educators who have done tremendous work to build Greenwich Public Schools prestigious reputation. We ask you to consider the impacts of staffing cuts as you proceed with budget planning. Thank you so much for your time and your continued effort to make our town the best it can be. Thank you. Um, while we appreciate your enthusiasm, it will help us to move along quickly if there's no applause. Gabrielle Alaz followed by Charles Sonar. Thank you. Good evening members of the BET and fellow guests. So,
007my name is Gabriel Leside, the junior class president and student at GHS. I speak here today in the affirmative for the proposed 2025 to 2026 budget and would like to give a different angle on this proposal. I personally witnessed and can to attest to how Greenwich teachers wholeheartedly dedicate themselves every day to help student success even at a detriment to themselves. I give the example of Mr. Hull, who not only teaches but also stays after school to run our debate club, which includes 10-hour long tournaments on weekends. He also runs the school's we the people class, which required coming in hours early each morning for 6 months while coordinating with legal professionals to come in as well out of a passion to help student success. Another example is Mr. Tedman, who leads the school's award-winning
008economics club, the high school's endowment fund, while also overseeing Model United Nations, in which he spends weekends in far away cities managing over 40 students. The list goes on. Mr. Bonte running our acclaimed science research program supporting students as they win international competitions. Mr. Silkman, the adviser for student council who got me here today. My physics teacher, Miss Lewis, who stays after who stays hours after school and throws waffle parties for her students out of pocket. And the many more who take time outside of what they're paid to help students. These are not just extra extracurricular activities, but they're are life-changing opportunities that allow Granted students to thrive and succeed in their in their post-graduation life. A teacher's paycheck should not be looked at as just a number, but as a reflection of how much
009we as a community value these tireless efforts. It shows that we are willing to invest in those who invest in students like myself every day. Those who work extra hours sacrifice personal time with family and give more than they are ordained so that students can have a brighter future. Part of this issue is keeping up with inflation. In 2020, a STEP 10 teacher earned a salary of about $80,000 nominally. Despite a modest increase to around $85,000 today, when adjusted for inflation, the salary from 2020 has a real value today of $100,000. This gap in real wages is exactly why the proposed budget is so critical. Most of it goes towards supporting these salaries. When approving this budget, you send a powerful message that our community recognizes the challenges our educators face and that we are
010committed to providing them with fair compensation and that we understand the direct connection between their well-being and the opportunities that they create for us. Now, I stand before you as a fiscal conservative who believes in responsible spending and efficient use of resources, and I fervently believe that that money is being well spent. Some might worry about the cost of this budget, but the long-term benefits of higher student achievement far outweigh the short-term expense. 30 seconds. Thank you. This is what makes Greenwich so attractive and her students, the people that you read about in the paper, the people that you see in magazines, the leaders of the world. This can be solely attributed to the far-reaching efforts of our teachers. Now, in closing, I respectfully urge you to support this budget. Your decision today will have
011a profound impact on the day-to-day quality of education for students and the overall well-being of our community. Thank you for your time, your thoughtful consideration, and your continued commitment to the future of Greenwich. Thank you. Charles Soner, it's fine. Read the can't read the handwriting. Followed by Nicholas Sosa. to fund this budget. But we need people to be able to spell. Yes. Good evening, esteemed members of the board, parents, educators, and community members. My name is Charles Gullenner, and I'm one of the presidents of Greenwich High School. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to speak this evening. I stand before you to advocate um for the approval of the Greenwich School's budget of 200 million $22,431,51. Don't want to forget that $51. Well, um, while this number may seem astronomical and titanic in size,
012it is essential to understand that it reflects the critical needs of our school and our students. First, let me acknowledge the challenges that come with any budgetary increase. It is easy to be concerned the um about the impact of an overage. However, I urge you to look closely at what this additional funding will achieve. This budget increase is not just a number on a page. It's an investment in the future of our children, in the quality of their education and in the well-being of our community as a whole. We all know that education is um is the foundation of a prosperous future. With a well-unded and wellsupported school system, we without sorry without or wellunded and wellsupported school system, we risk falling behind both as individuals and as a community. A significant portion of this
013budget will go towards addressing the growing demands in our classrooms. As population continues to grow, we face increased enrollment, the need for more teachers and the need and the need to for better for more resources resources to accommodate students with the wide range of learning needs. This budget will allow us to reduce class sizes, provide more individualized attention to students and ensure each child has the resources they need to succeed. Additionally, part of this increase is um is um is tied to ensuring that our facilities remain modern, safe, and conducive to learning. Many of our schools are aging and require significant upgrades to continue offering the best educational environment such as the one we are in currently. This budget will help address um deferred maintenance, improve the safety and comfort of our students and staff.
014In the long run, investing in our in our school will help now will help prevent larger, more expensive issues from arising down the road. Another critical area of focus is mental health support. This budget will allow us to keep the same number of counselors and mental health professionals available to our students, ensuring that they not only thrive ac thrive academically, but also grow emotionally and socially. We cannot underestimate the importance of providing these services as part of a well-rounded educational experience. The funding also supports the the funding also supports the continued professional development of our teachers. In a rapidly changing world, it is essential that our educators are equipped with the latest tools and strategies to and to inspire students. Let's also remember this is an investment in our community's future. A well-funded school system
015attracts families, businesses, and investments to our town. It improves property values, fosters a sense of pride, and creates opportunities for everyone. I strongly urge you to approve the Greenwich School's budget as it stands. It is an investment in our children's futures and um our community's well-being and in the long-term success of our entire town. Thank you. Good evening, Nicholas Sosa, followed by Morgan Grant and Scott Schwarzene. Good evening, members of the board. My name is Nicholas Sosa and I'm a junior at GHS, a class representative, the vice president of Model United Nations, and a former student at Julian Curtis. I'm here tonight to speak in support of increasing our district's budget, specifically to raise teacher salaries and strengthen the foundation of our schools. When I think back to Julian Curtis, I remember more than just
016the classrooms. I remember the people. It's a diverse and vibrant school with students from nearly 60 countries and over 30 languages spoken. That richness of culture shaped who I am. It inspired me to join Model UN and sparked my interest in diplomacy and global issues. That exposure right in my elementary school classroom helped me find a passion that eventually brought me to speak at the United Nations. But behind the beautiful diversity is a hard truth. Schools like Julian Curtis don't always have the same resources as others in wealthier areas of Greenwich. The gap shows up in enrichment programs, facilities, and especially in support for staff. And while we often talk about equity for students, we can't achieve it without investing in the people who make our schools work, the teachers. Raising teacher salaries isn't just
017about fairness. It's about retention, morale, and attracting the best educators to every school in our district. Teachers are more than instructors. They're mentors, support systems, and lifelines, especially in communities like JC, Hamav, New Leb, where students often face additional barriers. Our teachers deserve to be compensated in a way that reflects their impact. Schools like New Leb and Ham Aav, which the state has cited for racial imbalance, are making progress through magnet programs and enrollment shifts. But none of that can succeed without teachers who are supported, well compensated, and able to focus on students instead of worrying about whether they can afford to live in communities they serve. Our budget is a statement of values. If we say we care about equity, inclusion, and academic excellence, then we have to show it through meaningful investment, starting
018with our educators. This is how we close opportunity gaps and create classrooms where all students, no matter their zip code, have a real chance to thrive. Greenwich has the resources to lead by example. Let's use them to value our teachers the way they value us every day. Let's ensure that every classroom has the resources to not only teach but to inspire. Thank you. Morgan Grant and Scott Schwarzene followed by Katie Peretti. Good evening. Uh my name is Peter Schwarzene. I'm joined by my three kids who are going to speak in a moment and I'll introduce them. Um, like many parents, I think number one, we appreciate everything that you all do and re we realize this is a very challenging process right now. Um, this budget for the Greenwich public schools has the vast majority
019dedicated to contractual costs and to statemandated programs. And what that means is uh and the reason that we're here to fully to support fully funding that budget is that if the budget is not fully funded as proposed, then certain programs would potentially be reduced or cut. And in this case, one of the programs that my family and that my kids value so much is the advanced learning program at the elementary schools, which is also known as ALP. Um so I want to bring up each of my kids. This is Scott. He's a second grader at North Street. So Scott, um we were talking earlier. What's what's your favorite thing about being an ALP? My favorite thing about being in ALP is getting to do more challenging work. Great. Thank you, Scott. And next is Grant,
020who's a fourth grader at North Street. Um, Grant, you've been in ALP for a couple years now. Um, what what's something that you've gained from this experience? ALP has helped me build friendships with other kids because we share many similar interests. Great. Thank you, Grant. Uh, and Morgan is a seventh grader at Central Middle School. U, she went through the ALP program at North Street. Morgan, now that you're in middle school and you can look back on your ALP years at North Street, uh, what's one of your strongest memories? I remember writing an essay in Mrs. Baker's class, having to do revision after revision. At the time, it seemed difficult and even frustrating, but now I realize that it made me such a better writer, and I might not have had this opportunity to improve
021and grow without the advanced learning program. Thank you, Morgan. Um, I'm going to keep the rest of my comments short. I think these kids are already on track to be better public speakers than I am. Uh, which makes sense. I didn't have the benefit of a Greenwich public school education. So, um, so again, I want to encourage you to please fully support the proposed budget. We don't want to see programs like the advanced learning program have to be reduced or cut uh because again there just aren't that many parts of this budget that can be reduced and unfortunately the out program may be one of those. So thank you for your consideration. Thanks for your time tonight. We appreciate it. Eddie Beretti followed by Margaret Makoule I think it is. Hi, I am Katie Pered
022and I'm in third grade at North Street. This is Andrew. He is also in third grade. Claire and Julie will be in kindergarten next year. I love North Street and going to school. My ELA and science out classes are my favorite. Please keep funding our schools. Please do not take away Miss Thurman and Miss Baker from ALP. Our teachers are amazing. We hope you approve the total amount needed. Thank you. Margaret Moulei followed by Sonia Patel. Patel won't be speaking. Good evening members of the board of education. My name is Maggie and I'm a class senator at Greenwich High School and I'm here on the affirmative. I'm here tonight because I care deeply about the quality of education we receive. And I'm deeply concerned about how increasing class sizes and eliminating electives will affect students
023across our district. Larger class sizes may seem like a manageable adjustment on paper, but in reality, they mean less individual attention, fewer opportunities for students to ask questions, and less time for teachers to connect with us in meaningful ways. In crowded classroom, it becomes all too easy for students to fall behind or feel invisible. The personal engaging environment we need to succeed starts to disappear. At the same time, electives like art, music, technology, education, and family and consumer science are not luxuries. They are essential. These courses provide creative outlets, hands-on learning, and moments of inspiration that keep students engaged and connected to school. For many of us, they are where we feel most confident, seen, and motivated. Stripping them away undermines the very heart of a well-rounded education. Lower test scores and achievement. A US
024Department of Education analysis of 2561 schools found that class size was the objective the only objective factor positively correlated with student performance on national exams. This link was especially strong in upper grades. In a middle gradede experiment, reducing class size yielded a large increase in text scores effect size 08% 80%. In cut failure rates from 5% to 1% despite more lowincome students enrolled. According to the Levy Incident Institute, overcrowded classrooms tend to see more bullying and disruptive behavior as teachers struggle to manage so many students at once. Research suggests that bullying pro problems are exacerbated in larger classes, leading to lower self-esteem and hindered learning for victims. By contrast, schools that reduce class sizes saw fewer incidents of peer harassment and violence, improving the overall classroom climate. Student engagement, defined by involvement, interest, and enthusiasm
025for learning tends to suffer in large classes. As class size grows, each student has fewer opportunities to speak up, participate in discussions, or interact directly with the teacher. Gallup's nationwide student poll data starkly illustrates the challenge. Roughly 80% of fifth graders feel engaged in school, but by high school, only about 40% do, which is largely correlated with the increase in class size. This steady decline in engagement coincides with increasing class sizes and more lecture oriented teaching in middle and high school. I respectfully urge you to support the full 2025 to 2026 school budget. Let's invest in both smaller class sizes and the vibrant diverse learning experiences that define a truly excellent education. Thank you for t for your time and for listening to the voices of your students. Sonia Patel followed by Vena Kapur. You're
026talking about the GCTV stream. I don't I don't have any way of contacting Don Conway. Sorry. Sonia Patel. Thank you, Anna Kapur. Honorable members of the board of estimation and taxes, thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today. My name is Vana Kapoor and I am an eighth grader at Eastern Middle School and a North Myus and North Street alumni. Our schools are the foundation of our community's future and it is crucial that we continue to support them with the resources that they need to succeed. Education is one of the most important investments that we can make. It shapes the lives of my peers and I which helps prepares us for our futures. However, to provide the necessary quality education, we need the proper funding. However, to provide but this is hard to
027achieve when there is a $4 million deficit in our annual school budget. Deficit equals cuts. The advanced learning program, gym, language programs have all been on the chopping block before. These programs are essential for our allround development. My fourth year in North Miami school, the roof collapsed. This is in incident happened when school was not in session, but what if kids had been in there? Students with special needs face various challenges in not only accessing education and specialized support services, but are unable to access entryways into the school because our buildings have not been updated. If the budget is not increased, there is a possibility of 40 teachers and staff losing their jobs. These are our biggest assets. The teachers and staff of Greenwich Public Schools work tirelessly to broaden our minds. They go beyond
028the curriculum and shape our minds. Adequate allocation of funds will help improve school facilities, ensure access access to updated learning materials, support teacher training, and provide essential programs for students. By investing in education now, we are investing in the future of our community. I urge you to consider the needs of our schools as you make your decisions. The future of Greenwich Schools and the community lies in your hands. Thank you for your time and consideration. Ethan Cooper followed by John Fischer. Good evening to the board. My name is Ethan Cooper. I'm a senior at Greenwich High School, and I'm here to speak on behalf of one of our GHS teachers today who wasn't able to be here. I'm writing as a current resident of Greenwich, born and raised here. I write as a product of
029Greenwich Public Schools and a current teacher at GHS. I'm not in attendance at tonight's meeting because I am at the National Science Teachers Association annual convention, continuing to develop myself as a professional educator. I am happy to work in Greenwich Public Schools and send my two boys here as well as the schools are filled with other professional educators, individuals such as myself who have taken up teaching as a vocation and see it as their life's work. But this is not what drew me back to Greenwich. Experience in other schools around the world has made me realize the importance of working in a community that values education. My memory of Greenwich was that of a community that took pride in its schools. The current debate over budgeting priorities forces me to call this into question. It
030is my sincere hope that in a town that has the means, fully funding public education is a reflection of community values. It is my sincere hope that my town, my current home, the town I grew up in, shares my commitment to education. Sincerely, Steven Collins. Now, speaking as myself, I'm a senior at Greenwich High School and a member of student government, and I've seen firsthand exactly how critical our teachers and our funding for education is to supporting students as they go through their time in public schools. So I say to you tonight, please consider that we have the resources, we have the power, and we have the will to get this done. So let's get it done. Thank you. Okay, we've now gone through all the students. I'm going to I'm going to ask one
031more time everybody to please hold the applause so that we can get through this in an expedited fashion. John Fischer um followed by Aaron Hall. I've got this chair Fischer BET members. I'm John Fischer, the Greenwich PTA Council President. PTA Council is the nonpartisan umbrella organization made up by and for the 15 PTAs with about 4,000 PTA families. I spoke in January about the zero buffer BOE operating budget and about the budget underestimations in the BET's guidelines. I'm not going to talk about those again. I'm not going to talk about the emotional hot button items that will be cut if the BET reduces the proposed budget. Cutting dozens of teachers, eliminating classes, making classes more crowded, cutting PE, foreign language, ALP, AP classes, student services, sports programs, recent gains in academic outcomes will be lost.
032But I'm not going to talk about those. I am going to talk about the economics of grand list, mill rates, and property values. Greenwich has the largest grand list by far and the lowest mill rate except a tiny town in Lichfield with just 300 students. A low mill rate is not correlated to grandless value. It's a hot button political choice. Study after study shows that high property values are directly correlated to higher rated schools. And I'm not talking about liberal think tank studies. National Association of Realtors, school quality is the most significant factor in 30% of home buying decisions. Zillow, homes near high-rated schools can be up to 77% more expensive than those in nearby lower rated schools. New York Times, for every 5% increase in test scores, property values increase 2.5%. Atom Data, a
033leading for-profit provider of property data, says homes in high-rated school districts appreciate in value faster and have higher value. I spoke in January about state DOE niche great schools and US News and World Report lists that show all 13 of our 15 schools are top rated. Many ranked number one, number two, number three. GHS is number four. The district is number seven. Our ratings, rankings, and test scores continue to rise. NICH has a list of places with strong communities with the best public schools in Connecticut that ranks Byum number two, Peberwick number four, Glennville, Greenwich, Old Greenwich, Riverside, Cosb are all top 10. Property values rise with school quality. The Grand List rises with property values. Everyone benefits because the grand list underpins and enables everything. Town services, parks, infrastructure, and a low mill rate.
034Vote to protect the property values. Vote to approve the proposed operating budget. Support high-rated schools and higher test scores. Thank you for your public service and for this opportunity to speak. Aaron Hall, followed by Ralph Mayo. Members of the board of estimate and taxation, my name is Aaron Hull. I'm finishing my 21st year teaching social studies at Greenwich High School. I've taken our we the people constitutional law team to national seven times and my students are past national champions in the Harlem virtual Supreme Court competition. One of the things I noticed in the expansive student center when I first arrived was the impressive blue and white flag in the corner prominently hug above the caner stairs celebrating GHS as a school of excellence. The vibe was still palpable around the building. The staff was excellent
035and I was part of a new wave of hires in second in several decades as folks just didn't leave the place. I was elated knowing I could build a career here. Within five years, Greenwich named me a distinguished teacher, reflecting the time and effort I felt so proud to give to my school and my district. My students have earned many accolades since and reflect fondly on their time. But something is at risk of changing at Greenwich Public Schools. So, I rise to speak tonight the first time in such a capacity. We are re at risk of embarking on a headlong, unrelenting, willing, and yet completely unavoidable pitch towards mediocrity. GHS is short 18 pair of professionals currently. We've come up with a new procedure highly unpopular to double teachers into rooms for shortages as a
036result where teachers are often unaware of their students needs. We're short on substitutes and are pillaried in the press as unfaithful employees when the cause is stress burnout and navigating the worst commute in the country that wears us down on a daily basis. Some experience pay equi inequity for extended hour programs while being told we can't teach credit recovery classes for some unconnected students. And the true test is what the current mid-career professionals are doing. They're leaving. We've had 53 resignations to date this year compared to 32 last year. In the past 5 years, we've lost talented professionals in high needs areas like the brilliant Brian Wallik in math and Aaron Randall in intervention. Let me offer a suggestion. Go down to town hall, get fingerprinted, and sign up to become a substitute teacher. Walk
037a day or hopefully more in our shoes. Ever since San Antonio versus Rodriguez was handed down in 1972, local option budgeting has been the law. That means local tax dollars go to local schools. And if any of you are in real estate, you know that location is everything and dictated by two things. The quality of schools and traffic. Traffic would be a miracle. But you are tasked with the health and well-being of our schools. And if you continue down this path, the perceptions of the schools will falter and Greenwich will become, dare I say it twice, mediocre. My late grandfather taught me to measure twice and cut once. He never advocated just cutting. Measure twice before you cut. Thank you, Ralph Mayo. followed by Margaret Jkins. Good evening. My name is Ralph Mayo and I
038proudly serve as a principal of Granch High School. I've dedicated my career to this district and community, and in all my years, I've never felt compelled to speak at a budget hearing until tonight. The situation before us is too significant to stay silent. The current gap between the BET guidelines and the Board of Education's budget is $4 million. That's just not a number. It represents teachers, programs, and student supports that define the quality of education in Greenwich. If this budget is not fully funded, we risk dismantling the very foundation that has made our schools among the best in the state and the nation. I'm not just speaking as an administrator. I am a proud graduate of the Greenwich public schools. The education I received here changed the trajectory of my life. It inspired me to
039return to give back and to invest in the next generation of students. My four children also walked these hallways and benefited from the extraordinary opportunities this district provides. Today, three are educators and one is a nurse. Each of them continuing the tradition of service instilled in them. This is what Greenwich does. We educate, we empower, and we prepare young people not only to succeed, but to contribute meaningfully to the world around them. We want our students to come back to Grange to raise their families here to pour their talents and passions back into this community. But if we erode the quality of our schools, we lose that future. Young families will look elsewhere. The long-standing reputation of excellence we've worked so hard to build will be at risk. I fully understand your fiduciary responsibilities, but
040I urge you to view the budget not as a cost, but as an investment in our town's future. Great communities are built around great schools. The BO the BOE budget sustains that excellence. Please collaborate with the board of education to ensure we have the resources to continue delivering the highquality education that defines Greenwich. Let's keep our families here, attract new ones, and protect what makes this community exceptional. Thank you. Margaret Jkins, followed by John James. Um, apparently the uh GCTV stream is working now. Good evening members of the BET. My name is Margaret Jkins and I have been teaching in Greenwich for 20 years. During that time, I've taught at Riverside, Central Middle School, and currently at Greenwich High School. When I arrived in Greenwich, I was surprised and thrilled to be allocated a generous
041dollar amount that allowed me to purchase anything I could think of and more for my students. That generosity continued for many years. But along the line, something changed and that spirit of generosity gradually disappeared. One year there was a moratorium on attending conferences, which meant no more new materials or teaching techniques. One-year mid-year spending stopped so early that parents were donating cases of copy paper to the school. Last year, a line item for substitute teachers was revoked from one department, which meant there could be no field trips because there was no money to pay for covering classes, which meant no exciting real life experiences for students. Purse strings are getting tighter and tighter to the point where a town that had the reputation for generosity is now seen as miserly. We are woefully understaffed in
042a variety of ways. We are in dire need of pair of professionals to assist our neediest students who need a consistent positive presence with them, not just the person who happens to be available. And those paraprofessionals deserve to earn a living wage. Class sizes are increasing to the point where teachers cannot give the amount of personal attention they would like to their students. At GHS, not all rooms are the same size and some are crowded to the point that when desks are put in rows for testing, the teacher can't easily get to students to answer a question. Teachers are constantly being asked to give up prep periods or learning center duties to cover classes for absent teachers because there are not enough substitutes to go around. That means papers don't get graded, lessons that don't
043get planned, and most importantly, students who are in learning centers not getting the extra help that they are there for in the first place. Morale is lower than it has ever been, and teachers are leaving Greenwich for towns where they are treated with respect and consideration. Last year, 32 teachers left Greenwich over the course of the entire school year. This year, 53 have gone, and it's only March. I can't remember a time when I experienced conditions that left people so downhearted. Actually, I can. It was long before I came to Greenwich and I was teaching at an inner city high school in Manhattan. Greenwich, we can do better. We have done better and our children deserve better. Thank you, John James followed by Virginia Lockheart. Good evening members of the BET. I'm John James. I'm
044the father of Louisa, a first grader at Riverside School, and Emiline, a rising kindergartener currently at St. Paul's, and husband of Liz, who teaches music at St. Paul's. We are current and future Riverside School parents. First, I'd like to thank you for the initial steps taken to move the Riverside School renovation project forward in an expeditious and financially sound way. I would also like to acknowledge the individuals dressed in Riverside Red who are here tonight to demonstrate our community's strong support for the project. As you may recall, at January's public hearing, many Riverside school parents, staff, and even a student shared an array of experiences that conveyed, for instance, how disruptive, even hazardous school can be for Riverside students with disabilities or injuries, and how often sacrifices must be made due to many undersized spaces
045and a shortage of rooms in the building. January's multifaceted testimony emphasized the urgency of the building's issues and how the project's ed specs, which were unanimously approved by the BOE, provide a way to resolve them in a practical manner. The plans focus on necessity, not luxury, amounting to an estimated $ 41.5 million of work on the building. This is a reduction from the BOE's original $ 48 million plan, which is a win both for the school and the town. While a project of this magnitude may prompt some to wonder if building an entirely new school could make more economic sense, feasibility established that the current building is well constructed with timeless features that are worth preserving where possible. And data from new elementary school construction currently underway in the state indicate a 50% premium to
046build new versus renovate in accordance with the project ed specs. In other words, an additional $25 million to replace a building nobody in our community wants to lose. The building is a neighborhood gem. While it has many shortcomings, it is not broken beyond repair. If done right, we expect the investment in this building to last for decades to come. With all this in mind, a renovation is the reasonable and preferred approach. In the span of just the past few months, several stakeholders have followed the procedural steps we have in town and taken action to advance this project. Fasibility has created a sensible plan to properly address the building's issues, which the BOE approved decisively. The first selectman publicly endorsed and prioritized this project in his budget presentation. And our community of parents, staff, students, and
047neighbors has spoken, written, and shown up to express support. Members of the BET, now it's your turn to take action and advance this project by approving $2 million for A&E in the fiscal year 26 budget and 41 a half in 27 capital plan. Thank you for your time. Virginia Lockhart followed by Janet McMahon. Good evening, members of the BET. I'm Virginia Lockhart, a parent and PTA co-president at Riverside School. The long- awaited re renovation of Riverside is essential to our community. You've heard from many of us at prior meetings and via email. Even with young children at home, many of us have made sure to find a way to be here tonight wearing our school color, red. Since many of the fundamental issues have already been addressed in parent and staff speeches on other occasions,
048I won't repeat their points. Instead, I would like to address two specific matters that have been raised regarding the renovation project. One, the proposed building expansion may not be warranted due to declining enrollment. And two, that in lie of a building expansion, capacity issues could be addressed through minor redistricting to old Greenwich. First, the district's recent enrollment declines have not played out at Riverside. While we did experience a dip this year, it's likely attributable to the change in the cutoff birth date for current kindergarteners. As per Dr. Jones, enrollment is expected to rebound for the 202526 school year with at least four sections of incoming kindergarteners. This would bring Riverside back in line with its past 10-year average of 450 plus students. This growth is in line with the broader district trend with next year's
049incoming classes slated to be the largest since pre-COVID followed by stable enrollment through 2030. Second, redistricting some students from Riverside School Catchman area to the old Greenwich School is not a feasible solution to addressing Riverside's capacity issues. As the OS building committee has already explained, the four classrooms included in that building's addition are not incremental and will instead replace classrooms the school is losing in other parts of the building as part of its renovation. Thus, when the OS renovation is complete, it will have the same number of grade level classrooms that it has today, and OS will not have room to accommodate a meaningful number of students beyond its current cashman area. In any case, shrinking enrollment at Riverside would still not provide the necessary relief that the building renovation is designed to provide because
050the building would still lack ample designated small spaces for specialized instruction and student support that are needed regardless of enrollment. The school's many undersized classrooms, common areas, and office spaces would still not be in line with or at least closer to the prevailing standard. And our cafeteria is so small that even with a hundred less students, it would still be far tighter on space on a space per student basis than most K through five schools in the district. Minor redistricting to a neighboring school will not solve the fundamental space issues at Riverside School, but the renovation and expansion project laid out in the BOE approved EDSP specs will. With that in mind, we urge you to move this project forward by by funding 2 million for A&E in the fiscal 26 capital budget and 41.5
051million for the con for construction in fiscal 25 capital plan. I also encourage you to fully fund the school's operating budget. Thank you. Janet McMahon followed by Sherry Azer, please. Good evening, Chairman Fischer, members of the BET and guests. Thank you for your service to the town and for the opportunity to speak to you tonight. My name is Janet McMahon and tonight I'm speaking to you as chairwoman of the PTAC facilities committee. Our committee is in full support of the BOE's capital budget requests of 24.12 million. Roughly half of this request is for normal course maintenance and repairs of our 15 public school facilities. And as you know, this is the smallest BOE capital budget in years and about half of your estimate of 46.6 million back in April 24. While all of the capital
052projects in this budget are important and necessary, I'd like to draw your attention to the following projects that are our school community's priorities, and we respectfully request that these specific lines not be cut. The Julian Curtis cafeteria renovation for 2.7 million is for phase 3 renovations to provide a functional cafeteria space. The current cafeteria is poorly utilized and inaccessible, leaving students eating lunch in six waves starting at 10:30 a.m. Furthermore, the current lunchroom is inadequate for students with auditory and other sensory deficits. The JCBC has made great progress with phases 1 and two. Let's move forward to complete these essential modernization and ADA renovations for the school. The 2 million for A&E work for Riverside School also remains top of mind not only for the committee but for the entire Riverside community. As you're aware,
053Riverside School is the most crowded school in the district with every square inch of the building being used and some spaces being repurposed multiple times a day. And the situation is only about to get worse with enrollment increasing. These A&E funds are critical to keeping the renovation on budget and on schedule. Any cuts now will only increase its cost later. The committee also requests that the 5.8 million to address a myriad of accessibility issues at Western Middle School stays in the capital budget to comply with the ADA act of 1990. Speaking of ADA, the ADA accessible North Street playground is also critically important as North Street School is a host school for the unique learners program. It is past time to fund ADA compliance 35 years after the law was passed. It's also time to
054fund phase two of the ghs cellular improvement project. Cellular reception remains spotty in most of the school building and 500,000 is a small price to pay for the safety and well-being of 2500 students, teachers, and staff. Our committee is also in support of the recent $5.2 million request to rehab the geothermal HVAC at Hamilton Avenue School. This recent budget request would expedite the removal of the noisy and temporary HVAC system currently in place at the school and would align with the RTM's net zero summer vote in April 24 as well as the board of ed's 61 vote and the BET budget committee's 202 vote on this item. In conclusion, PTAC facilities respectfully requests fully funding the capital budget and especially the lines above. The more we delay any capital project, the more we open up
055our town to liability and preventable construction escalation costs. It also delays other school construction projects, which further compounds the board of ed's existing backlog of projects. Thank you. Sherry Bazer, followed by Mary Dolan Colette. Good evening members of the BET, distinguished guests, thank you for your dedication to this town and for the opportunity to address you tonight. My name is Charie Azer and I serve as the co-president of the Parkway School PTA. I am both a product of GPS and a proud current parent where I have two twins at Parkway. I am here to strongly urge you to fully fund the BOE budget. With the arrival of CO era children entering kindergarten next year, our enrollment numbers are projected to rise significantly across all of our schools. In a town as fluent as Greenwich, we
056cannot afford to let class sizes grow, which would directly undermine the quality of education and ensure that schools remain an engaging and healthy environment, one that supports essential programs like physical education, foreign languages, and the advanced learning programs. The longer we delay critical capital projects, the more we expose our town to liability and the risk of escalating construction costs. Not investing in our schools now will far will have far-reaching consequences and lowered test scores, decreased enthusiasm for public education, declining enrollment, and even diminished property values. We must act now before these costs become even more burdensome. Thank you for your time and for your commitment to further invest in our children and our community. Mary Dolan Colette followed by Octavia Millie. Good evening members of the BET. My name is Mary Dolan Colette. I stand
057before you tonight as the proud assistant principal of Riverside School to highlight the urgent need for the proposed renovations. I am deeply grateful for the board's ongoing support and consideration as this project presents a unique opportunity to transform Riverside into a space that truly meets the needs of our students, staff, and families. Our academic achievements, most recently recognized in US News and World Report, are a testament to the exceptional talent of our teachers and the dedications of our students. However, when it comes to our school's infrastructure, I must express my concern. Every day, our dedicated educators face challenges compromising on dynamic teaching practices due to cramped and flexible classrooms. Despite their tireless efforts, the physical limitations of our current building restrict their ability to engage students in hands-on activities, small groupoup instruction, and innovative projects.
058As assistant principal, I too find myself adjusting my vision for events, activities, and even routine meetings. The limited space often forces us to scale back or rearrange our plans. Additionally, when we walk prospective families through our building, it often feels less like showcasing what Riverside has to offer and more like damage control. Comments like, "You can fit 20 students in this classroom." Or concerns navigating a building without an elevator highlight just how far our facilities fall short of the innovative, future ready education we strive to provide. The heart of the issue is this. While our building holds a great deal of charm and history, it no longer aligns with the message we wish to send to our students. It is outdated and in many ways inadequate. This renovation is not just about improving aesthetics or
059convenience. It's about creating a physical space that reflects the vibrant learning environment we are cultivating. In closing, I want to thank the BET for your time and consideration. With your continued support, we can create a school that not only honors Riverside's legacy, but also prepares its for its future. Thank you, Melly, followed by Julie. Good evening. My name is Octavia Melly and I'm honored to speak tonight on behalf of the Riverside Association in strong support of the muchneeded renovation project for Riverside Elementary School. This project is not just a matter of infrastructure. It's an investment in the future of our children in our community. The Riverside Association represents a broad spectrum of residents, including many who have no direct affiliation with the school. This project is not only important to families with school-aged children, but
060also to the larger community, as the quality of our schools affects the vitality of our entire neighborhood. Riverside Elementary School is a well-built pre-war neighborhood landmark with a charming facade and accompanying grounds that complement the surrounding residential area. However, it is outdated and inaccessible with undersized common areas and too few spaces for instruction and services the school district is required to deliver. Based on what we currently know about the building's issues and the scope of the work laid out in the edspecs to address them, the Riverside Association Board of Governors wants to voice its support for this project. The proposed renovations make sense, addressing critical infrastructure needs while preserving the character of the building. This investment is expected to serve our community well for decades to come. This project benefits all of us. Families with
061school-aged children will see the most immediate impact, but strong schools contribute to a strong neighborhood. When we invest in the institutions that anchor our community, we reinforce what makes Riverside such a special place to live. On behalf of the Riverside Association, I urge you to support this renovation project. Our children, our families, and our entire community will benefit from this long overdue investment. Thank you for your time and consideration. Julie Ferin, followed by Jennifer Beavveno. Good evening, Chairman Fischer and members of the BET. My name is Julie Fininiars and I am the executive director of the Greenwich Alliance for Education, your town's education foundation for the Greenwich Public Schools. I am also the proud parent of three Greenwich Public School graduates. Greenwich Alliance for Education is in full support of the BOE budget and ask
062that you fund it as presented by the superintendent and the board of ed. As a Greenwich Public School distinguished teacher who taught two of my children, um gave her students after taking an exam the chance to improve their grade if they spent additional time researching and learning more about the subject matter. The growth mindset is what education is all about. You have all come here tonight with more data and factual information than you had when you set the guidelines. Use what you have learned to vote for the children and teachers in our district. Thank you for the opportunity to speak. Jennifer Ben Kvagendo and followed by Jessica Prots. Good evening members of the board of estimate and taxation and guests. Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you this evening. My name is Dr.
063Jennifer Beno and I am incredibly proud to serve as the principal of Old Greenwich School. First, I want to express my sincere gratitude for your ongoing support of our school's renovation and expansion project. We are eagerly anticipating our groundbreaking on April 23rd and would be honored to have all of you join us for this milestone. However, ensuring a safe and accessible school extends beyond our building's walls. It is critical that the roadways and walkways leading to our school are equally safe for our students. That is why I urge you to fully support the next phase of the sidewalk improvements on Shore Road, providing our students with a secure and accessible route to school. I would be remiss if I didn't advocate for our neighbors in Riverside in the full funding of their architectural and engineering
064design plan so similar to ours. In addition to speaking as a principal, I stand before you as the co-president of the Greenwich Organization of School Administrators with David Wo. You can envision him next to me. He had a different meeting this evening. The Greenwich public schools are home to decorated scholars, athletes, and performers. Each nurtured and guided by nationally recognized, awardwinning educators. We are fortunate to have some of the most talented teachers in the country. And yet, if these proposed budget cuts take effect, it will be those very educators and their students who suffer the most. It is imperative that we uphold class- size guidelines and maintain the diverse course offerings for students from PE preK through high school. The foundation for nationally and internationally recognized athletes is built in the kindergarten PE classrooms where
065they learn sportsmanship, teamwork, and perseverance. The accomplished scientists and scholars me mentored by Dr. Vermonty would not have achieved their success without the strong elementary and middle school science programs that instilled in them the fundamentals of research and investigation. As you have heard from our district leadership, there is nowhere left to cut without directly impacting the teachers who stand in front of nine almost 9,000 students each day. The Greenwich Organization of School Administrators takes its responsibility seriously, serving as vigilant stewards of our department and building based budgets, ensuring every dollar is spent wisely and only on what is absolutely necessary to support the safe and successful operation of our schools. For the re these reasons, we respectfully urge you to fully fund the board of education operating budget as written. We will continue to do
066our part to ensure that our town's greatest resource, our children, are prepared to be the leaders of tomorrow. Thank you, Jessica. Excuse me. Jessica Winshots, followed by Lilian Peron. Good evening. I'm Jessica Punchettz. I'm vice president of membership for the GA. Um, I first ask you to please fully fund our schools, including their infrastructure projects that keep our students safe and accessible. I am here to read a statement on behalf of one of our members. Her name is Tiffany Vicari and she is a second grade teacher at Old Greenwich Elementary School. Good evening. My name is Tiffany Vicari. I'm a second grade teacher at Old Greenwich Elementary School. Thank you for the opportunity to speak this evening. I stand before you to emphasize the critical importance of fully funding the superintendent's budget and the long-term
067impact that any cuts would have on our students, educators, and the future of our district. First and foremost, the education of our students is at the heart of everything we do. Our teachers and staff are dedicated to providing the best possible learning environment, but that becomes increasingly difficult when funding is cut. A reduction in the budget directly affects the resources available to our classrooms, affecting not only the materials and programs, but also the number of teachers available to our students. Perhaps the most concerning outcome of these budget cuts would be the inevitable increase in our class sizes. Larger classes means less individual attention for each student which can have significant impact on their learning experience. It becomes more difficult for teachers to address the needs of every student particularly those who may need extra support
068or enrichment. This isn't just a logistical issue. It's a matter of equity. Every student deserves the opportunity to succeed and receive a personalized education regardless of their background or ability level. When we cut funding, we are cutting opportunities for our students. We are cutting their access to smaller class sizes, innovative programs, extracurricular activities, and the support that makes our schools great. I urge you to consider the long-term consequences of these cuts. Investing in education is investing in the future of our community. Our students are the leaders, innovators, and problem solvers of tomorrow. And we owe it to them to provide a highquality education no matter the financial challenges we face. Thank you for your time and your commitment to the students of this district. Let us continue to prioritize their education and support the funding
069needed to ensure their success. Thank you for your service. Lillian Peron followed by Alexandra Steven. Good evening, BET. Thank you for your service. It is a difficult job and so is teaching. My name is Lillian Peron, president, proud president of GA, the largest union in Greenwich, and this is my 36.6th sixth year in this great town and I still love it. I was looking through the um estimate and taxation reference book powers and duties. The BET powers, duties, and responsibilities may be altered by state legislation or by home rule action as provided in the charter. The BET's ultimate responsibility is for the proper administration of financial affairs of the town. section one. Our schools, our students, our GPS staff are part of the town of Greenwich and we need our budget fully funded. We have
070made great strides in improving in special education based on our reports. If you listen to our last board meeting, we made great strides in math and science and great growth. There are a lot of things in our budget that are unfunded mandates. Many positions were funded by er funds. Title One funds, IDA, federal grants, all of which now have been drastically reduced or cut that we didn't plan for in the budget but must keep because it's mandated by law. So, where do we go from here? Increase class sizes, cut programs, cut services, cut teachers. Since CO, my teachers have been here and have shown up educating our students, lifting up the community and each other, and trying to hold it all together. But you know, we're getting tired. We're overworked. We're covering classes. We have
071shortages in subs and paras. We're covering teachers who are leaving Greenwich or resigning. By not funding our budget, you are driving us into the ground and are killing morale. I read your profiles. You're all pretty impressive. Education is big business and you are all at the top of your field. your practicing attorneys, hedge fund managers, chemical engineers, risk management. We need to do things differently. Things were much easier in my early years here. People flocked here. We have to think differently, act differently. We have to change our business model. We have instead of hundreds of applicants, maybe one or two. People are turning down jobs. People are not driving down here. What can we do differently? I don't care about other districts having shortages. I care about Greenwich. We need to think better. Thank you,
072Peter. We need to think better and do things better. We need to build it. And you have the financial capital and the human capital. We have it all. Why can't we work together and get it done to make us all great again? Thank you for what you do. Thank you, GA. Alexandra Stevens, followed by Jamie Charles. Good evening. My name is Alexander Stevens. My husband and I have lived in Kasob for about 25 years and we have three children, a GPS alum, one at GHS currently and one at Costco school. 18 years ago, I left a private sector career much like yours and took a 65% pay cut to become a teacher at GHS because I believe strongly in public education. a feeling that some on this board seem not to share as you have
073weakened our schools by underfunding them for more than a decade. Hundreds of classes exceed size guidelines at GHS. Student mental health challenges go unmet. 21st century skills are not consistently taught and some buildings don't comply with the ADA while others are physically deteriorating. One solution that keeps coming up is cutting even more teachers and hoping that those of us who are left will somehow find the time to take on their work. It's become an impossible task. For example, in secondary school libraries, we've suffered a 40% cut in teachers responsible for teaching reading, research, and literacy. Although those of us who have remained try mightily, we cannot fully make up for that loss. And so, hundred of hundreds of students who used to receive these lessons no longer do. The town keeps cutting teachers while educational
074demands continue to increase. Sped needs grow by the day. There are fewer subs and pair of professionals and new state graduation mandates mandates require additional staff. You might think most of us would look back on the COVID years as the most difficult of our career, and they were difficult. But each year since then has gotten worse due to a multitude of issues resulting in a great part from the underfunding of schools. Just last year, you required the BOE to cut 10 secondary teachers on top of the teacher reductions in previous years. Here are just a few of the many negative consequences that resulted. As of today, 53 teachers have quit in the middle of the school year, a 65% increase over the number who quit all of last year, which itself was a drastic increase
075over previous years. Two teachers who were hired this year resigned within their first month due to the working conditions. It took almost six months to fill one opening after a teacher quit and the principal had to make at least three offers before he was finally getting find someone willing to go to GPS come to GPS. We're currently short 18 paras across the district and every day teachers are covering for paras and other teachers due to the severe lack of subs because we pay these valuable employees less than other surrounding towns. These conditions were unheard of in Greenwich until the BET started defunding the schools a decade ago. But make no mistake, word is out that a town with the largest grand list in the state over $ 36 billion doesn't support the schools. Towns like
076Darian, Newan, Fairfield, Westport don't have the high needs our students have and aren't as wealthy. but they increase their school budgets far more than we do. These districts have smaller class sizes, lower student teacher ratios, and more social workers and psychologists. It's no surprise that so many of my colleagues have left over the past 5 years to teach in those towns, and that so many more of us are trying to follow them. I know dozens of teachers across the district district who are actively searching for a new job right now. That's the real consequence of your terrible financial decisions. It's time to start fixing this disaster and not only pass this proposed budget, but commit to a multi-year plan to start digging GPS out of the hole that you have created. Thank you, Jamie Charles,
077followed by Chris Verdict. Hello, my name is Jamie Charles and I am an art educator at Greenwich High School. Hello bet. May I please ask how many of you have had the opportunity to have a Greenwich Public School education? May you raise your hand? Thank you. How many of you have had a child in our schools? Thank you. You know what we're asking. I urge you to fully fund our proposed budget and continue to invest in our schools. Cutting teachers would have a profound and negative impact on student learning and the quality of education we provide. Our students thrive when they have the necessary resources to explore their creativity and potential. However, since 2020, rising costs of art materials and budget costs cuts have forced us to remove and scale back the scope of our
078projects within our curriculum. We want to maintain the exceptional and competitive programming that Greenwich Public Schools are known for, but that requires proper funding. Additionally, we are at we are at a loss for what has happened to all of our PAR professionals. Peros play a critical role in supporting students with special needs as well as supporting the well-being of the entire school population. They deserve fair pay, better working conditions, and recognition for the invaluable work they do. Right now, they are stretched to their limits, rushing across the school to meet student needs. It is clear that we need more pair professionals on staff and must invest in them as essential members of our community. I urge you to support our educators, students, and staff by approving the full proposed budget. Thank you. Chris Berdick, followed
079by Bob Cheney. Good evening. I'm Chris Berdick. My children went to the International School at Dundee and are currently at Eastern Middle School and the Greenwich High School. I strongly urge you, the members of the board of estimation and taxation, to approve the Greenwich School's proposed operating budget in full. This is not a budget full of fluff. Rather, as a budget that provides Greenwich schools with what they need to provide a top quality education for our children. Right now, our education system is under assault at the national level. But here at the local level, look at how many people have turned out tonight to show their support for Greenwich Schools. There are parents, students, and teachers who all recognize that a quality education doesn't just happen. It needs to be funded. Time and time again,
080people show up here and speak to the BET begging for money to fix, rebuild, and fund our schools. Cutting the proposed budget won't result in the elimination of frivolous waste, but will rather cut teaching and pro and eliminate critical programming. Honestly, I don't understand why this is a difficult decision. The question isn't can Greenwich afford the proposed school budget because we can. The question is does the BET recognize the value of quality education. It isn't that difficult. Invest in our children. Support our teachers. Fund our schools in full. Thank you for your time. Bob Trainy followed by Noel Moore. Uh, good evening. Uh, my name is Bob Cheney. I am a uh, District 11 RTM member and also volunteer my time at the public schools here through the PTA and the Julian Curtis building committee.
081Uh, I do this because I want uh, our town of Greenwich to be the best town it can be. Uh, while I do like to volunteer in town, my most important role is as a parent. I have a student here at Central and I have one at the high school. I'm here tonight to speak in support of the BOE budget as presented. As everyone here is aware, there's a over $4 million difference between the Greenwich public school budget and the BET guideline expectations. That is a large gap. Tonight, I want to talk about what these cuts would mean. I don't have to tell you that $4 million is a huge amount. If $4 million is taken out of the proposed BOE budget, it would mean that the teachers definitely have to get cut as taking
082away that $4 million does not even cover the current salaries of the Greenwich Public Schools faculty. Where else do we cut? Uh the cuts would have to come from ALP, AP classes, foreign language, sports programs, student services. This would be detrimental to all of the academic achievements that happen in all of our public schools, not to mention all the wonderful and amazing programs at the high school that might have to go. This would not only have a massive impact on the current students, this would have an impact on the reputation of the Greenwich public schools at large as our students currently are able to take advantage of such amazing programs that might inevitably be cut. Look, I know it's easy to look at numbers on a page and say that we need to slice $4
083million, but this is far more complicated than that. Each and every cut is something that is a loss for our students in the public schools here in Greenwich. These cuts could be a teacher that is not hired, a a bright student that needs advanced programs to challenge them, a student athlete that excels in a specific sport and might need that sport to get them into a good college. Classes with too many students in them, perhaps even the entire elementary school physical education program. This budget is not just numbers on a page. This budget is for our students, for our children. Please understand that they need the full BOE budget to be approved so that they can have the best possible future imaginable. They deserve that. Thank you. Have a good evening. Noel Moore followed by
084Peter Shur. Hello, my name is Noel Moore. Um, I am a parent of three children in the Greenwich Public Schools and um, I'm also a District 12 RTM member. Um, I do not have prepared remarks tonight, but I would like to request that you fund the BOE budget as proposed and even better maybe give them a few extra dollars. Um, we chose to move to Greenwich because of the schools and when I look at what's happening in our schools compared to our um, peer towns around Connecticut, it concerns me and I think that we need to invest in our schools. If we don't, it's very shortsighted. our property values are going to start falling falling if we do not spend the money to prop up our schools, make sure that the class sizes stay small
085and that we have the best teachers. So, please fund. Thank you. Peter Sher, followed by Doug Fenton. Get ready. I'm going to talk fast. I'm a Riverside resident who has three children who attended Greenwich Public Schools from kindergarten through 12th grade. They all attended the schools of their dreams, Oxford University and UCLA. How great teachers and guidance counselors. I'm here because I just can't handle the lies and misinformation flying around, primarily propagated by Republican and Democrat politicians. It's not fair to parents and it should stop. Parents deserve the classrooms that my kids had. It can be done if we can park all this nonsense. Here are the facts and suggestions about what to do. Enrollment has declined and it's not coming back. K12 has dropped 480 students since 2019 and after 5 years it's not
086recovered. This discussion about the Democrats putting out that there's a bump in kindergarten is because of the change in uh entry uh date for children. Since 2019, teaching staff and other school academic staff has actually gone up from 1,0 to,030 employees despite losing 500 students. Expenditures have skyrocketed to nearly $28,000 per student. Meanwhile, academic performance, which is far and away the most important thing, is exactly where it was when Dr. Jones arrived in 2019. You must protect the academic classroom. And here's how to do it while meeting the financial goals that you have. First of all, get academic resources to 2019 levels. If you fund it at 2019 levels, it it without reducing it to account for 500 students left, you can still provide a great system. Teacher absenteeism is double all other districts in
087Connecticut. Go look at the CSD. CSD site. If you can get HR to manage getting teachers in the classroom, it's thousands of days that get paid for substitutes because teachers are not in the classroom. If you can get them to the Connecticut average, like all other districts do, you can save nearly $2 million. Greenwich has the best teacher pay and contract in the state. entry level salary is 59,000 which after 13 years grows to 133,000. It's higher than anywhere else. But the administration uh Bla1 and Jonathan by both coming in to you repeatedly has explained that they are in their hiring not following that contract and routinely hiring people not at the entry level but at the middle of the salary scale. that explodes operating expense without adding anything to the classroom. If you put
088these three fixes in place, you can easily fund a system that meets the financial guidelines and protects teachers and the classrooms, which is the most important thing. Thank you, Doug Fenton, followed by John Simone. fun to follow. Um, hello members of the BET. My name is Doug Fenton. I'm a river resident of Riverside and serve on the budget overview committee of the RTM. Last year, a bipartisan majority of you decided to fund the BOE's budget. That decision was celebrated by the Greenwich community and we have seen it pay dividends in our school this year. In January, I presented to the BOC on our schools a document I've shared with you all. My conclusion was that the BU guidelines for our schools understated contractual cost increases and the impacts of grant reductions. Therefore, a material cut
089in the board of ed budget will likely require a meaningful reduction in programs and staffing that is unwarranted by modest changes in enrollment. I further detailed that even if BOE budget is fully funded, this coming school year will already see K5 classrooms with their largest average class size since 2019. The total number of K12 GED teachers will have been reduced by roughly 30 in the last three years and our GED student teacher ratios are expected to continue to rise. Since then, we've learned that kindergarten enrollment is on track to be the largest in over a decade with roughly 700 kindergarten students joining GPS in the fall. While I don't believe this warrants an increase in the budget, material cuts could seriously impact our K5 learners. Greenwich schools already run efficiently compared to Darian, New Canon,
090and Westport on a per student basis. We already have fewer total staff, fewer administrators, and fewer pair of professionals as other speakers have highlighted. While Greenwich currently has similar number of certified teachers per student, a meaningful cut to the BOE budget would change that. At the BET budget meetings, there's been a lot of discussion about the budgeted headcount increase of 22 or 1 and a.5%. A portion of these additional headcount reflect the decline in Title One grant funding. However, the vast majority of these additions are special education related. The Connecticut law change that brought forward the kindergarten enrollment birth date has added uh preK students and necessitated additional classrooms and staff. Most of the other additions are for new programs like positive pathways or continuing programs like Kota classrooms and just general sped parapher professionals
091that benefit our students and serve to keep students in district at a lower total cost to Greenwich taxpayers. As for return on investment, the education recovery scorecard stated that Greenwich is one of only 8% of Connecticut districts with better performance than pre-COVID in math and reading. and Edsite data says the same about science. Appreciate it. Thank you. Please do not put these outcomes at risk. In sum, I'm asking you to fully fund the board of ed's approved operating budget to ensure that Greenwich will have strong and efficient schools in the year ahead. Ahead of decision day, I'm happy to walk any of you through my presentation to the BOC. Thank you all for your consideration and your service to the town. John Simone, followed by Alex Quintana. Good evening. I'm here this evening representing my
092wife Dorothy and our two children aged nine and two who couldn't be here due to homework and bedtime as I'm sure you understand. Uh we live in the North Street School District. Um and I would like to voice my support for the proposed school budget. We moved to Greenwich in 2016 in large part due to the strength of the school system. Uh I'm a product of public schools myself. Uh and frankly they pald in comparison to the terrific program that my family and I have experienced here in Greenwich. Uh my son especially has had a wonderful experience at North Street School and has benefited enormously from the ALP program which we would very much like to see continue. Uh I know that you do not approve specific programming but the ALP program is at risk
093should this budget fail. Uh, I also consider myself a fiscal conservative, much like the young Reaganite who spoke uh so eloquently earlier. Uh, as I understand it, there's a $4.1 million differential between the proposed budget and the BET guidelines. Um, as a taxpayer, I'm grateful for the board's efforts to keep our mill rate low. However, I would urge the board to consider the financial ramifications for those of us who may be forced to consider private schools or other districts as an alternative if our children no longer have access to those programs that help them to excel. Uh, thank you very much for your time and attention and for having us here this evening. Alex Quintana, followed by Kathleen Stone. Good evening members of the BET and guests and thank you for your service to the
094town. My name is Alex Quintana. I'm a ghs graduate and now also a proud parent of a first grader at North Street and a four-year-old who thinks he's a first grader at North Street. I'm here to ask you to fully fund our schools. The debate before us is about the future we want to build for our children and our community. And I'm going to paint two pictures tonight. In the first, we choose to invest. From an early age, our students have access to world languages, PE, music, art, and technology. They're supported by teachers who aren't worried about their jobs or looking at other districts or job listings. They're just focused on their students. They graduate ready for anything. Some of them return to Greenwich to open places like Granch Brewing, Vanluin Ice Cream, which is
095expensive but delicious, or Bax Cycles. Some go on to found companies like Price Line and Lyft. Yes, all founded by GHS grads. All of them began their education in the classrooms that we can choose to fund. Now, a second picture. It's a little bleeer. We hold back funding. At first, as parents, maybe we don't see the changes, but the kids will. Spanish becomes a once every other week for 30 minutes with a teacher who travels between schools and doesn't know your name kind of class. Class sizes grow. Teachers leave for other districts that offer more stability. And right now, those peer districts already spend more per student and have smaller staffto student ratios. Our excellent schools slip to good than average. Families move away. Enrollment drops. The cuts get deeper. The negative cycle continues to
096spin. This year's BOE budget isn't bloated. It's a response to real needs. Contractual wage increases, rising transportation costs, and the expiration of federal grants. Please don't ask our students and teachers to do more with less. Let's paint that first picture together and fund our schools. Thank you for your time and your service to the town. Kathleen Snow, followed by Rachel Connor. Good evening. Oh, I don't have to. This is the opposite of when I'm up there. Okay. Um, good evening. My name is Kathleen St. For those of you that I have not met, I am in my eighth year as a proud member of the board of education with the majority of that time on the budget committee. I'm also the proud mom of three GPS kids. First, as a fellow public servant, I want
097to thank you for your time and for listening this evening. One of my favorite parts of serving on the board is public comment, especially when it's from our students. So, thank you for listening to all of us. I won't go through all the figures since you know them and have had the opportunity to ask your questions, but I want to highlight some of the good stuff that perhaps as finance members you don't get to hear, but I think it's important to reflect on some of our successes and then talk about the challenges. First of all, we are constantly winning awards in arts and music. Please go listen to the orchestra or band or attend a coral performance or a play at one of our schools. You'll be wowed. Sports. I couldn't possibly name all the
098regional and state championships since surely I will miss one. However, I cannot leave tonight without congratulating Terry Low again and another swimming championship, the 11th straight triple crown. Um, academics, eight of our schools are schools of a distinction. Our AL program is a differentiator in the state. Fresh in my mind is the STEM report that we just heard at our last board meeting, illustrated so much as our successes in math and science. You hear about our science research program led by Andy Bonte. It's recognized they literally wrote a book on him. Let me talk a little bit about our ATP AP courses. We have 32. Last year we administered more than 2700 exams and the scores keep increasing even though we keep adding more and more students taking the exams. I have to highlight GHS
099is one of the very few high schools to offer AP physics B and physics C in one school year and the highest results in the country averaging 4.47 in C and 4.27 in B. That's incredible. I appreciate that you have a hard job needing to balance all the needs of the community and so we do our part as a board to find those efficiencies to cut where we think it'll avoid the classroom. Over the years, we continually reduce positions wherever possible. I will point out fiscal year 24 and 25, more than 27 FTEEs, efficiencies on professional development, consolidation of bus routes, changing the pres preschool student ratio. This year, Cody Kettle and I along with our committee analyzed the budget with Ben Brandon, who you all know very well, and he was a fresh set
100of eyes. He built the most efficient budget with Dr. Jones while still delivering for our students. Still, the budget committee got to work and we managed to find another $500,000 and that's the budget in front of you tonight. As you know, the largest part of the budget increase is a guaranteed wage increase and our schools will only continue to thrive with the investment in our teachers, which in turn is a direct investment in our students. I leave you with this. In my eight years on the board, there are not many budget votes that pass with such a majority. This budget pass 71. Thank you. Rachel Fana, followed by Lisa Sylvester. Good evening, members of the board of estimate and taxation. My name is Rachel Kana. I'm a longtime Greenwich resident, a parent of a Greenwich
101High School graduate, a former RTM member, and former state representative for the 149th district. I'm here this evening to urge you to support and approve the board of education's operating budget request. The board of education went through the budget with an eye to cutting what they could and their request is what is absolutely necessary to provide mandated and highquality education. Further cuts come at the expense of teachers jobs and educational programs. We want our town to have highquality schools for our children, but also to continue attracting families to Greenwich. It's vital for the future of our town. For many years, there's been talk that enrollment in Greenwich public schools is on a downward trajectory, but in fact, enrollment in our public schools has remained fairly steady for the past two decades. Notably, pre-enrollment for kindergarten
102is the highest in a decade. And this is a trend bolstered by increasing local birth rates and not a one-time adjustment due to age requirement changes. It's simple math. BOE operating costs are up due to contractual salary increases, increased transportation costs, and increasing special education population and loss of federal funding such as ARPA and Title One. Cutting teachers and programs, increasing class sizes, or consolidating schools means ultimately it's our students who will pay. I urge you to focus on what the BOE is telling you it needs to continue to provide excellent educational programming to all our students and to please fully fund the board of education's operating budget. Thank you for your consideration. Lisa Sylvester followed by Justine Bulldog, please. Good evening. Thank you for the opportunity to speak tonight. My name is Lisa Sylvester
103and I'm the Greenwich High School PTA outgoing president. I am in full support of the revised proposed GPS budget and I'm asking for no further cuts. Over my past 24 years of volunteering within the Greenwich Public Schools PTAs, both behind the scenes and enrolls like the one I have now. I have seen this story before as many of us have. The superintendent comes up with his or her budget. It goes to the BOE. They tweak it and it all comes before you. Then comes nights like this. We all get up to speak hoping that our comments matter and will truly make a difference. We are energized. We're wearing our school colors. And we want to see all of you place the utmost importance on our public school students and teachers. Typically though, we find out
104more cuts are made, which usually means teachers losing jobs, programs being cut, facility needs are pushed back, and more. My question to you all is at what point do we all get on the same page and say our students and teachers deserve better? This vote tonight should solely be about what is right for our public schools. Each and every single item, teacher, and student are all important. I can tell you between myself, my co-president Monica, and our board, we're pretty good about raising money. We're pretty good about asking for money, but we can't come up with that shortfall. So, I urge you to please not make any additional cuts and vote yes to the full proposed budget you received. Now, taking off my hat as the PTA president and just having my mom hat on,
105my three girls all graduated Greenwich High School, not to mention my parents and my grandmothers. My son is a senior and headed off to college this fall. His plan is to get his master's degree in education and he wants to come back to Greenwich High School and teach math. I am so proud that he wants to become an educator, but it's difficult to know what the future holds. Will he be able to get a job when he graduates? There's a lot of people who say, "Don't go into education. It's too much. There's too much uncertainty. Don't go back to Greenwich. It's too political." And the list goes on. But I strongly believe that our town can come together when we need to and offer our public school students and teachers the best without sacrifice. I
106want my son to be encouraged to continue on this path that he has chosen. And I can think of no better district to do it in. But we all need to realize the public schools are the very first step towards the future of our children. And if we can encourage if we can encourage others like my son to pursue becoming an educator and return to this town, our future looks very bright. It's time to set aside differences and see the bigger picture. Please vote yes for the proposed budget in front of you without cuts. Thank you. Josephine Baldock followed by Stephanie Grupo. Uh, good evening BET members. My name is Justine and I'm here as a North Street parent. Um, I have a kindergartenner and a third grader. Um, and also probably most important to
107you, I'm a very active voter in town and one of your constituents. Um, I'm asking you to fully fund the uh BOE budget for 202526. Uh, before I came here tonight, I had to talk to my nine-year-old about why I was leaving on a Wednesday night before bedtime. And when I told him what was going on, he was glad I was coming here because he's scared and upset that the ALP program that he loves and is thriving in may disappear next year. I realize that you guys don't pick the programs that go, but I think we all know that that's one of the top programs that's going to probably get have to get cut if you don't approve this full budget. We don't all send our kids to, you know, private school. That's a that's
108a financial decision that some people get to make and others don't. And this is a program that allows so many children across the district to thrive, to reach their highest potential. What happens next year if that program goes away? Is he going to have to repeat math lessons that he's already mastered in a larger class with less individual attention because of all the teacher cuts that this arbitrary number that you've come up with creates. You have the power to keep my son and many other children in programs that they need and deserve. These children in these programs help to keep the Greenwich Public Schools test scores high. That keeps our rankings high. That keeps our property values high. Whether you have a ch child in public school, private school, or have no children at all,
109that impacts everyone in our district, in our whole town. So, please listen to your constituents and vote to fully fund this budget. Thank you, Stephanie Grupa, followed by James Walsh. Members of the BET, I'm Stephanie Krupa, Julian Curtis PTA co-president. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to address an issue that directly affects the students, teachers, and families of Julian Curtis Elementary School, the proposed budget cuts and their potential impact on our school. At Julian Curtis, we pride ourselves on fostering a supportive and enriching environment where every child has the opportunity to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. However, the However, the proposed reductions in funding threaten to undermine the very foundation of what makes our school exceptional. Budget cuts often lead to teacher layoffs or hiring freezes resulting in larger class sizes. At Julian Curtis,
110we know the value of individualized attention. Every child is unique, and our teachers work tirelessly to meet each student where they are. Programs such as art, music, PE, ALP, and language in instruction are often among the first areas to face reductions during budget cuts. These programs are vital for fostering creativity, critical thinking, and well-rounded development. For many of our students, these activities are a source of joy and self-expression. The impact of these cuts would not stop at our school's doors. Julian Curtis is more than just a school. It is a cornerstone of our community. Julian Curtis as well as Hamath, New Leb, and the middle schools have already been deeply affect affected by budget issues. When we underfund our schools, we send a message to our children that their education is not a priority. This
111affects not only their future, but the future of our entire community. Strong schools build strong communities, and weakening the schools weakens all of us. I urge you to consider the long-term consequences of these budget cuts. Our children are not just numbers on a spreadsheet. They are future leaders, innovators, and problem solvers of tomorrow. Investing in their education is not an expense. It is an investment in a better future for all of us. Fully funding the BO the BOE budget shouldn't even be up for debate. Thank you. James Walsh followed by Laura Karan. Hey, good evening all. My name is James Walsh. I'm a father of a CMS and a Costco student and unfortunately have become increasingly frustrated uh that I need to come here before this body year after year to ask for the proper
112funding for our schools. I would like to stress the money the BET is looking to cut this year is not going to fund nice to have, but it's going to fund need to have renovations, programmings, and educators. The gap between what the BOE requested and what the BET has deemed appropriate is $4.1 million. With a town population of 63,518, that breaks out to just under $65 per Greenwich resident. Let that sink in. I don't think anyone would say that is an extravagant or extra amount to spend on our children. For too long, our educational facilities have been underfunded and the town has been forced to play catch-up. Don't compound that error that you're currently striving to correct by starving our schools of the full budget the BOE has asked for. While parents can tolerate quirks
113and delays in updating facilities, they will not tolerate cuts in the operational budget that will negatively impact the quality of their children's education. Failing to fully fund the school's budget will not only reduce the educational experience of our children, but will also send a message to our educators that they are not valued and that all that is important in Greenwich is the mill rate. Tonight, I and so far everyone else, with the exception of one individual, are asking you to fully fund the school's budget. Even if that means rising raising the mill rate, our children deserve it. Our teachers and administrators deserve it. And the small amount this will cost the town will pay significant long-term dividends to our current and future students. Thank you, Laura Karan. followed by Esthany. Good evening. Thank you for
114the opportunity to speak to you tonight. My name is Laura Quan. I have three children in Greenwich. One who's in elementary school and two who will be joining soon. I'm passionate about education. And here's what I want you to know. My husband and I moved here for two reasons. One, for the quality of the public education. and two because we believe the leaders in this town are the kind of people who will choose to fund and invest in our youth. The quality of our education and enrichment programs like ALP are critical to the success of all children. If ALP were to be cut, others have hinted has have said this, but it's it's so important I want to say it again. Class sizes will be increased. It will be harder for teachers to address the
115needs of all students. and it increases the possibility that our most brightest students are going to be disengaged and disruptive because they are bored. I understand that you do not approve all of the elements of the budget, but I think we all know as others have said that if the full budget is not approved that discretionary programs like ALP and even PE are going to be the first on the cutting block. My son Liam is here with me tonight. He's eight. He's in the AL program at North Street and he is listening and he is learning and the decision you make tonight will send a very powerful message to him about how much you value his education. I urge you do not compromise on what makes Greenwich great. Please take a stand, be heroes for
116our children, and vote to approve this entire budget. Thank you. I have Stansy followed by Carrie Gruss. Hi, I'm Elizabeth Spansy. I'm a parent of a first grader at North Street and I have a fourth grader at Julian Curtis. This puts me in a unique position where I get to have a perspective on the challenges of the larger class sizes at Julian Curtis, especially in the fourth grade. While I love JC's community and I am over the moon with the new principles there, my son also loves the foreign languages and is finally speaking Spanish with his Peruvian grandparents. I am concerned about how these larger classes impact my son's experience and the effects of even more reduced funding for our school staff. My husband is a resident at Greenwich Hospital and he is about to
117complete his residency in June. We're deciding where are we going to live next? What's in our future? And I always thought we were going to be in Greenwich. I just had a feeling this is where I wanted to be. But now I'm very concerned about the future of education, public education in Greenwich, the very reason we originally chose to live here. We are simply asking for the basics tonight and families are watching this decision. Please fully fund the school budget and demonstrate that we are invested in our children and in our educators. Thank you. Harry Rush followed by Caitlyn Wardell. Good evening. My name is Carrie Grus and I'm a parent of a NSS fourth grader and a CMS 7th grader. I'm also co-president for the CMS PTA, but tonight I'm speaking as a parent.
118Please vote to fully fund the BOE's proposed budget. Any cut to this budget will result in significant decreases in the quality of education Greenwich can offer their students. This budget includes only the absolutely necessary inclusions for our kids to continue to thrive. Our kids should not pay the price of a downgraded education to meet arbitrary spending caps. I urge you to pass the BOE budget fully funded to ensure another year of quality education can be offered in our public schools. Thank you. Caitlyn Bordell followed by Claire Kgallen. Good evening. My name is Caitlyn Wardell. I am a parent of a sixth grader at EMS and a fourth grader at Riverside. I urge you to pass the 202526 school budget. Excellence is expensive. I am sure you agree otherwise you all would have chosen to live
119in a cheaper location. We have heard from wonderful educators who have dedicated their careers to our schools and our kids. We have heard from very polished and talented high school students. I would like to take this moment to remind you that students like that don't just arrive at Greenwich High School. They come up through the system known as GPS. GPS is a whole and we cannot cut additional pieces out of it. Success doesn't happen overnight. Regeneron science finalists aren't made in 11th grade. Their interest and talent is nurtured starting in our elementary schools. Same for our debate team winners where their curiosity is ignited. When a teacher has a third grade classroom with students who read everywhere from a ninth grade level to a first grade level, how is one teacher supposed to reach all
12020 plus students? I urge you to not cut ALP, which takes the advanced students out of the class to give them what they need so the general education teacher can give the other students what they need. So every student has a chance to be a science fair finalist in high school should they want to work for that. Please don't be anti-academics. Please preserve and expand the excellence of GPS. Do not threaten it. At the very least, do it to preserve the real estate value of everyone in this room, including you. Mayor Kallen followed by Keith Damsky. Good evening. My name is Claire Kilgallen. Um, for those who don't know me, oh, good evening, Chair Fischer and the members of the board. Thank you for your service. Um, I am a longtime PTA volunteer, officer, etc.
121I served on the New Lebanon building committee. I am the vice chair of the Central Middle School building committee. And I'm also a substitute helping in the schools. And why is that? Because there is a need. And the reality is you all have jobs where you need to take off for your family medical leave because you are sick or you have professional development and you have times you're out of the office. I think it's highly insulting to charact mischaracterize the absences of our teachers. I'd like to speak in full support of the capital budget. Um, for those who may not remember, I feel like a broken record. When we advocated for new Lebanon, people said, "Oh, you're never going to meet your numbers. You're never going to hit it." Well, guess what? The numbers are
122hit. The 374 in the EDS specs that people said we would never fill, that children would never come to the west side of town to buy them. We had 374 including 50 magnet student seats. Well, right now we have 385 students. The school opened in February of 2019 and we have 81 magnet students. So, we've exceeded the projections that some people on this day and maybe a negative speaker earlier thought would never come to fruition. Please do not be shortsighted. As a member of the CMS building committee, we fought vigorously to increase the funding for the building so that it could actually be constructed and required the $42 million needed. in addition to do the project. I appreciate that investment and we see some great work going out on here and we're going to have
123a new building opening in August of 2026. Um this is very extemporaneous because I was working in prek all day and that is draining. I can attest to the needs of the students and if having attended many of these meetings the prediction has come true. This is a zerobased budget. These are fixed costs. There is nowhere else to go. Years ago, we talked about the event horizon where the cap and the cuts were going to come to an inflection point. And here we are. Are you really going to cut ALP? Are you really going to cut PE? Do you know what's going to happen in those classrooms with disregulated children who have all this energy and can't they need the time to be able to focus and they need the PE, they need the ALP,
124they need the language. The value proposition of this town is what makes Greenwich great in investing what is needed. I know some people might look at this and say that there are emotional parents here who are speaking. Um, I've been speaking for the past 15 years. Um, and the fact is that the that the investment helps the grand list. So, invest in what brings people to this town. Don't encourage people to go their exits up on 95 Damsky followed by Jan D'Angelo. It's hard to follow. Thanks everybody. My name is Keith Damsky. I'm the proud dad of Theo. He's a Costco first grader. I'm also a district 2 member of the RTM serving on the finance committee and the budget overview committee. Next week, the budget school budget is going to be reviewed and it's
125no secret that there's a reasonable possibility it's going to get cut. There's a lot at stake here personally for me and my family, civically also for the role of disciplined analysis in budgeting. Let me talk personally first for a second. My seven-year-old has an IEP. He's in his second year of the Kota classroom program in Kazkov. The program has been transformational for him. He has developed core skills years ahead of what I dare dream and he has classmates who get him and accept him. The Kota program currently runs through third grade. The proposed budget calls for it to continue into fourth. Cuts to the budget for the schools overall would threaten to stop it in its tracks. For my family, friends, neighbors, I implore you to preserve it. Now, I'm also aware that school budget
126is not only a matter of heart through the RTM finance committee and BOC lens. I see that much is at stake as well for the role of disciplined analysis and budgeting. On the one hand, you have all you have all seen the extensive and detailed financial and educational programming analyses undertaken by the superintendent and the BOE. It's really long. You all have had ready access to the thorough analyses undertaken and presentations given by my RTM colleagues. So, I'm sitting right there. The proposed budget is supported by a mountain of good work. Now, on the other hand, some may be inclined to disagree. Disagreement and debate can be healthy, but what has been brought to bear in support of cuts? I I would like to think that any calls for cuts to specific items would be
127grounded in a thoughtful analysis or at least a clear enumeration of the items to be cut. If such work is available, it is highly elusive. Surely, someone will point to the budget guidelines. I will point to them too. Sadly, at least when it comes to the school budget, the guidelines, and I say this with sadness, have suffered a decline in rigor this cycle. Extensive work has been done in that regard. It can all be referenced. There are links. 30 seconds. Thank you, Pete. As a tip of the iceberg for everyone here, to make this crystal clear, past guidelines recognized that contracts governing teacher salaries are not identical to those governing everyone else's salaries. Salary growth for school and town were different percentages. Now, they're an identical round number of 3%. That's reasonable when we're just
128working to a guideline. It is not reasonable as the basis for a decision like this. So the decision of whether to fully fund the school budget is paired with another choice then and I will say it plainly. Should the budget be based on cleareyed thorough analysis or not? Thank you. And the last speaker tonight, Jen D'Angelo. Hello. And like everyone else, I thank you for all of the time this I know you I see all the meetings on the town calendar. you are spend a lot of time. I didn't bring prepared notes and just hastily wrote something on my phone. I hope it doesn't disappear. I agree that the school budget needs to be fully funded. I have a part-time job at the Costco library and being close to three schools, I see Greenwich Public
129School students as well as their teachers and parents every day and they are impressive. But I want to bring up the need to fund the geothermal repairs refurbishment of the geothermal system at Hamilton A. As I've written to you, the students, faculty, and neighbors need this taken care of. Please do what the school board has requested and also the right thing for the comfort and health of our students and what will be in the long run better for the budget. Thank you for staying and listening to all of our comments. Okay. Um, that brings us to the end of tonight's public hearing. Did you want to speak? Okay. Would you sign a slip so we have a record? There were no slips on the back when I came in. I'm sorry. you could speak and
130fill it out after. You could speak first and then make sure you fill one out afterwards, please. Thank you. I am Alex Pop. I'm a Greenwich resident, RTI member, 26 years teaching at Riverside School. I was on the feasibility committee. The architect did a masterful job collecting all the staff input in creating one inclusive plan. However, just note that there's only one plan created and the feasibility committee was not tasked with prioritizing or voting on any of the recommendations. Yes, the EDS specs are a step in the right direction and we all acknowledge that there are a few tight spaces in the building that need to be fixed, but I believe the ed specs still need to be revisited and revised. The idea that classrooms need to be expanded to meet some state standard is
131problematic and unnecessary. There are costs and drawbacks that have not been fully vetted. First of all, Riverside is a top performing elementary school in the district and one of the top five in the state. We're achieving stellar academic performance. Expanding the rooms by 80 to 100 square feet will have absolutely no academic um per acre in academic performance. Secondly, O Greenwich just is creating is going undergoing a major renovation and it was approved by BOAB bet RTM and according to the specs the facility will maintain grade two to five room size averaging slightly smaller than Riverside. So my question is why does O gran if O' Greenwich doesn't need larger rooms then why does Riverside as a te third at as a teacher at the beginning of the year beginning of every year like all
132teachers in the district I keep my fingers crossed we're wishing for smaller class sections and at Riverside some of us are starting to worry that now that we have potential of more spaces more spacious rooms uh that would welcome a larger student headcount. So in other words, more stu more space just might mean more students in the class and that would be detrimental. Number four, the renovation expansion will be multi-year. Tearing down walls means sections of the building will be completely gutted. A clear vision of where to house the students and associated costs needs to be considered. Fifth, moving walls and expanding the spaces could result in the exterior window frames being off-centered and the windows will no longer be aligned with the room. And it's possible that two rooms could share the same window.
133If a complete interior renovation is in order, you know, like old Greenwich, maybe we ought to have the discussion, maybe we need a new building, which I don't necessarily agree with, or do we just maintain the class the the classrooms and the ones that need to be fixed, we fix them or we move them to the space of the addition. Thank you, [Music] Molly. Molly Cibbei, which I guess will be the last one. Hi, thanks. I wasn't going to speak tonight. Um, but I've spoken the last eight years. Um, and I listened to a myriad of compelling people tonight. Um, so I I couldn't say things better. the difference in the and and folks talked about four million in the big gap. Well, I look at it a different way. 37.2% versus 38.6% of the
134overall budget if you fully fund the schools. Um, and fund the schools. Otherwise, let's start changing BET guidelines to BET mandates. Thanks, James Waters. Good evening, members of the VET. I was not planning to get up and speak tonight, but uh since my project was referenced um a minute ago, I felt like it's important to set the record straight. Um as you said, my name is James Waters. I serve as the chairman of the RTM budget overview committee. I'm also chairman of the Old Greenwich School Building Committee. Tonight, I want to provide you with some personal comments. First, the old Greenwich renovation is going to be starting this summer. Thanks to a majority of you and also thanks to the hard work of the stellar old Greenwich School building committee. I hope you will attend
135your our ground breaking. You've all been invited. Second, I do want to flag that the RTM approved the current teacher contract that's uh incorporated in this budget in October 2022. by a margin of 57% to 43%. That was in the previous RTM before many of the 43% were ousted by voters in November 2023. Third, I would like to lend my support to the Riverside renovation project. I can tell you that the old Greenwich School building committee stands ready to support the building committee as it gets going. I was glad to see that the feasibility committee took a lot of the lessons learned from previous projects in putting together a solid plan that the board of education approved overwhelmingly. Uh to the previous speaker's point, the reason that the um grades 2 through five classrooms in
136Old Greenwich School did not need to get expanded, it's because they are plenty spacious. That is much different than what you have at Riverside. That is a very important point and is why the feasibility committee made the decisions that they made with the Riverside Edspec. So, I hope you'll actually consider those facts um because I think all of them are material from the teacher contract that uh is incorporated in the operating budget to some of the items in your capital budget. Thank you. Okay, I think that's finally it. Um, did you have one more, Pete? No. Oh, okay. Okay, so I'm going to close the public hearing at 9:05 and thank everybody for their comments and their attendance and all of that. And the board will reconvene tomorrow evening at 7 o'clock in town.