01/16/2023
Money for schools — Urgent call to action!
The Governor and CT legislature are crafting the budget for next two years, and the state has a once-in-a-generation surplus. Right now is the perfect time to ask for more state money towards building new schools.
This could improve the odds of our next referendum by reducing the cost to the townspeople of Wethersfield directly. This his a Hail Mary for sure but it’s possible we can get the attention of the Governor and our local representatives at the state level, with a simple letter-writing campaign.
Why now?
The Connecticut General Assemble just started. The Governor’s platform is:
reducing middle class taxes
economic development
improving education.
He has not defined how he plans to reach these goals, and we can convince him that school construction meets all three.
Why School Funding?
The state reimburses approximately 46% of new school construction and 56% of “renovate as new” construction for Wethersfield. The amounts the state pays is different from town to town, with Greenwich getting the least and Hartford getting the most. In other words, it is progressive and focuses on the lower and middle income towns. These formulas are built into statutes that only the CT legislature can change with the Governor.
Why would the Governor want to do this?
With small tweaks to percentages the Governor can address multiple agenda items. Building schools is economic development. Jobs are created, and dollars stay in Connecticut. New schools translates into a smarter, better prepared student body and ultimately population. It would help our town now and long into the future.
Increasing the amount the state pays for reimbursements CUTS middle class taxes. We would each pay less if the state picked up a larger portion of the funding for the schools.
What should we do?
Write the governor. Tell friends in other towns to write the governor. Share the idea with your local representatives. Be aggressive about communicating this idea! There is only a small window of time until the Governor and legislature decide how to apportion the funds they have on hand. The Governor presents the budget to the legislature in Early February.
A small 20% increase in the reimbursement rates would mean Wethersfield residents pay millions less in the proposed referendum. This could help change minds and get our kids and town the new schools that will help secure the economic prosperity we all desire.Click on this link to email the governor directly.
Fill out the form to ask the Governor to help fund our schools.
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