PTO Protesting Potential Cuts to the School Board's Budget Request

An online petition is being circulated to lobby Mayor George Apel and Vernon's Town Council to leave the Board of Education's $51.6 million budget request for the 2013-14 fiscal year alone.

An example of the petition can be found via the Center Road School PTO's Web site.

Filling out a form on the site will "automatically send an email to Mayor Apel and the Town Council asking them to support the Board of Ed's proposed 2013-2014 budget," the petition's cover page says.

The CRS PTO has included the following message on the petition:

"A budget that supports our children and our district's needs is needed. We are asking the community to review this information, ask questions, and join us in supporting the Vernon Board of Education by lobbying the Town Council to restore funding for the 2013-2014 school year."

A $51,669,787 budget request was delivered to Town Hall by the school board. It reflects a funding increase of $3,488,790 - or 7.24 percent - over this year's $48,180,997 spending plan.

Apel has told Board of Education Chairman Dean Houle to be prepared to deal with $1.5 million less in his version of the budget, which is anticipated to be going to the council on March 11.

Houle responded to Apel that he stands by the budget request. Houle said the $1.9 million increase after Apel's cut "does not even cover contractual obligations."

He also said that all-day kindergarten systemwide, a key component to the state's new common core curriculum, would be off the table. Implementation systemwide costs $492,408 and is included in the budget.

The petition is also asking parents to participate in a lobbying effort at the budgetary public hearings - scheduled for 9 a.m. on March 16 and at 7:30 p.m. on March 28, both days at Town Hall.