Federation of Connecticut Taxpayer Organizations

Hi, all.� Attached is the updated CT Tax Increase Comparisons Worksheet.� As you can see, it�s been a busy week!� With the results I�ve been able to get, there are now 35 defeated budgets, and 77 passed budgets.� The average proposed tax increase has increased slightly, primarily due to a couple of towns, such as Stafford, which will have high average tax increases as the result of revals.� The average defeated tax increase proposal has actually dropped from last week�s reported average of 5.95% to 5.74%, which is significant.� Likewise, the average approved tax increase has also dropped from last week�s reported average of 4.94% to 4.66%.� In looking at the results at this time last year, we are still consistent with number of budgets passed, but slightly fewer budget defeats.� The results of the upcoming �big ticket� budget votes will probably keep things on par with last year�s averages.� The first week in June has many budget votes scheduled, and an update of this data will next be released at that time.�� Please keep me posted on any results, and especially updates on proposed General Government spending increases and Education spending increases.� They continue to be moving targets in most of the municipalities.�� I am also interested in mill rate updates, as occasionally proposed mill rates approved by voters are adjusted downwards slightly as funding authorities make revenue adjustments prior to setting the final mill rate.� Thanks, Donna

Donna�s attached worksheet� is in Excel

********

May 23, 2006 From Donna McCalla

The Andover budget for FY 2006-07 has been defeated by a huge margin.
Of the 2,223 registered voters, 178 voted Yes on the budget, and 332 voted No.
On the advisory questions, the results are as follows:
General Government Budget Too High: Yes: 311 - No: 152
General Government Budget Too Low: Yes: 66 - No: 285
Education Budget Too High:� Yes: 277� -� No: 182
Education Budget Too Low:� Yes: 79� -� No: 182
Please check local newspapers tomorrow for additional information.

********

From:� Robert Fand� Robert7912@aol.com

United Taxpayers of Danbury
Subject:� Student Achievement

Dear Judy and Theresa,� Susan Kniep is doing a very good job of networking taxpayer groups interested in fiscal discipline I was delighted to read your presentations.� You are correct.� I wish to add some things for you.
�One reason the politicians are looking to force 3 and 4 year olds into the school system is the dismal failure to reach goal in reading and math. The problem is the curriculum, curriculum, and curriculum. 15% of the Bethel, Ct. budget is for special Ed while only 8.4% can be attributed to ESL students. Only 53% of Bethel's 4th Grade student were at or above reading goals on the CMT despite the best and diligent efforts of the respective Principals in K-4.I was present at a Bethel Board of Ed. when this was termed a crises. It caused a re-evaluation by the Board of Ed. which concluded that recess and lunch might be replaced by remedial reading.� Back in 1998 through the efforts of myself, one other taxpayer activist, and the curriculum subcommittee Saxon Reading was introduced for one year. It stresses in K-3, sounding out the letters, rhyming, and class chanting. This is done in the local Lutheran private school and one Ct.multitown school district This is now the Grade 8 in the Bethel Strategic School Profile which is at 75% at grade level or above. Certainly Saxon reading in Grade one did at the least no harm. Saxon Phonics is intense sequential phonics with scripted lessons, and benchmarks every three lessons to catch those behind. Don't be fooled by admonitions that they have phonics. Ask if the current program is "Intense Sequential Phonics" and not a hop, skip, and jump type of phonics curriculum Since it is scripted many of the teachers found it boring and complain that it is boring. but the students in K and Gr. 1don't view it as boring. Money is saved by having the same textbooks and the same lesson plans for the teachers which decreases their preparation time as they repeat the curriculum with a new group of students. This concept is being used to decrease costs elsewhere.� After one year the Assistant Superintendent killed the program. She was against it all the time but was over-ridden by the curriculum subcommittee. The other reason we had enough influence to get this reading program adopted was the fact that we had elected two Independent Party members to the Board of Ed. and helped the other Republicans get elected through co-endorsement by the Ind. Party,(which I run similarly to how Mike Telesca runs his Ind. Party in Waterbury).

Now as a result the following has occurred:
1. 16% of the Bethel Educ. budget is for special ed. This is mostly true for Boards of Ed. across the State.
2. There are several different levels of the same grade in reading, math, and science due to the disparate levels of achievement necessitating an increase in school construction and bonding even though the Bethel school population has decreased in the last ten years.
3. Right now we are looking at a $30 Million plus Bethel High School project that is way over budget while over half the classes are less than 15 students so as to provide special ed.
4. Approximately 1/3 of every WECONN Freshman class (and 1/3 of its expenditures) takes remedial English and/or Math.
5. This is prevalent: The U.S. is 18th and 25th in Math and Science in the world. How can our children compete in this global economy? If many students can't read properly how can they do verbal math and science problems..

Solution: As a very left of center member of the Bethel Board of Ed. said during this aforementioned discussion of crises in reading scores:� we are doing too much, its too diffuse, return to core". I went up and congratulated him and shook his hand even though we have been on opposite sides on almost every other issue. Improve curriculum by returning to core and save money. Two good results.

The head of Ct. State Curriculum is Barbara Westwater. She is a very nice and responsive type of person. I encourage all concerned to try to visit and talk with her about returning the curriculum in all 169 towns to "core" in K-3.

If we do not solve this problem the politicians will take more and more drastic and non-democratic measures such as outlined by Judy Aron and Theresa McGrath.� Thanks again Judy and Theresa for your efforts.� Sincerely Robert Fand

�********

Bob Young ryoung0@snet.net from the Wethersfield Taxpayers Group forwarded to us this message he recently received from an out of state resident.

Dear Bob from Connecticut,� I found your e-mail most enlightening.� So your little town in Connecticut spent $1.4 million on artificial turf without the public's ok? Try over $2-million, here, with no public meeting, plus they're getting ready to come back and spend $2-million more. The public is cut out of the whole decion making process completely. � As with eminent domain issues, many local governments seem to be running roughshod over the citizens who are purposely being locked out from any meaningful public participation in the local government process. I feel sometimes that we are losing America. Hanging a flag is good, but it's not enough. Being an American should mean being more of a verb, and not a passive little lamb. People are quick to say they support our troops, sure, but it's odd to me, because I see so little evidence of any passion in people's lives about what it means to be an American, no defense of supporting core American principles of democracy and open government at the local home town level. It's as if people think being an American is some abstract romantic notion with no grounding or relevance to what is going on every day in their communities. I hope citizens keep waking up more, and keep getting more involved in their communities. It's the only way we'll ever get this country back. 'NJ Kathy' signing off. -- KH Kathyhogan1@comcast.com

********

Keeping tabs on citizens

By CNET News.com Staff

Click Captioned Heading to view Reports

Tech industry attacks state anti-RFID laws

Britain to use ID card database as national register

New RFID travel cards could pose privacy threat

The Real ID rebellion

Video: New Hampshire says no to IDs

Driver's license or national ID card?

ID database will become national population register

Passports to get RFID chip implants