One more email -- Vote YES

I know there have been several emails circulating, but I am going to throw my word in to pass the budget and why below; as some of you may be aware there is an active group that is advocating for a zero tax increase this year, which given the revenue and fund balance issues would be devastating to the town (more than $2M in additional cuts). Please feel free to cut, paste, and forward as appropriate:

Hello all,

Hopefully you are aware that the town and education budget did not pass last month, and that there will be another vote this Tuesday, May 19th, from 7A-8P at all five polling places (Leete, Cox, Firestation, Baldwin, and Jones). While the amount participating in the referendum in April nearly doubled from 2008, there were still fully two-thirds of eligible Guilford voters who did not participate last month.

I am writing to ask you to vote, to vote YES for Guilford this Tuesday, and to make sure everyone in your household and circle of friends and family votes.

Following the failed referendum in April the Board of Finance reduced the budget by ~$1.6M, with ~$1.2M on the education side, the largest cut to education in town history. The increase in the education budget is at its lowest level since 1993, when 20 teachers were laid off. These cuts are imposed on an educational system that was already recently ranked as the 17th most efficient school system of 169 towns in CT by the Yankee Institute for Public Policy – we are below average in per pupil expenditure and nearly dead last in our investment in school infrastructure among comparable towns. Spending does not necessarily equal quality, but it becomes more and more difficult to retain quality with decreased resources, something we have so far been able to do.

Last week, wage concessions were reached that will be in effect if the budget passes. The wage concessions are on both the town and education side total more than $1,000,000, including over $600K in teacher concessions that are far greater than any other town in Connecticut so far (the first concessions in CT by any members of the CEA). They represent an extraordinary amount of work on the part of the leadership and significant willingness to compromise by town employees.

These wage concessions will allow us to preserve staffing and services at reduced expenditure, and represent a community effort to share the burden that the economy is imposing on all of us.

Should we not pass this budget, all negotiations are off, and we WILL face severe cuts in town and education programs, resulting in increased class sizes, cuts in sports, music, and theater, as well as reduced town services and decreased ability to support the elderly tax relief program.

This is too much to lose to save the average Guilford taxpayer less than $10 per month.

Vote YES!

Thank you for listening,

Chris Moore