To say town budget proposal is a ‘$2 million investment’ in Monroe’s schools is misleading

To the Editor,

I am writing in response to the recent article, “Rooney proposes a town budget with a 3.68% tax increase,” to provide educational context that was either missing or inaccurately framed. The article presents the education portion of the budget in selective, positive terms but omits critical context, understates real cost pressures, and excludes later funding facts that matter to voters evaluating whether Monroe’s schools are being funded responsibly.

These omissions make the information incomplete and potentially misleading for readers trying to understand the real impacts on school services, student outcomes, and the long‑term attractiveness of the community to families.

The article describes a $2 million “investment” in education,  but it should be noted that this figure comes after the Board of Education’s original request was reduced by approximately $1.6 million, following an earlier $250,000 reduction the Board had already made itself. In addition, the Board’s budget was significantly cut last year, leaving key needs unfunded going into this fiscal year.

As a result, the increase presented in the article overstates the actual funding growth relative to the district’s identified needs.

More importantly, the article omits several key drivers of education costs that are not discretionary. Special education enrollment and service costs continue to rise, while state reimbursement for excess special education expenses has declined in recent years. These are mandated services, and reductions in funding do not eliminate the obligations; instead, they shift the burden to the district.

Enrollment growth is another significant factor missing from the discussion. Monroe has experienced sustained student population increases equivalent to the size of an elementary school over recent years. Growth of this magnitude directly affects staffing, class size, and support services, yet this context was not included when evaluating the proposed education budget.

Additionally, Monroe’s per‑pupil spending remains below the Connecticut state average. Research shows that lower per‑pupil expenditures can correlate with reduced access to specialized programs, support services, and enrichment opportunities, which in turn influence student performance and district rankings.

School performance and rankings affect the community’s ability to attract and retain families, with implications for property values and local economic vitality. Even with the proposed increase, Monroe continues to educate students with fewer resources per child than many comparable communities, a fact residents should consider when assessing claims about education spending.

Finally, while local politicians often cite Monroe’s “award‑winning schools,” the most recent National Blue-Ribbon School recognition for a Monroe public school occurred in 2015, when Masuk High School was honored by the U.S. Department of Education for academic excellence, representing the district’s last such federal designation to date.

Some town officials still promote Monroe’s “award‑winning schools” while adopting “no frills” budgets that underfund programs, staffing, and student supports that made past honors like Masuk’s 2015 National Blue Ribbon possible. Repeated or significant reductions to Board of Education requests force administrators to prepare cut lists that may ultimately increase class sizes, limit course offerings, and reduce services, even if they initially try to shield students.

Research on school finance shows that sustained funding cuts are linked to lower academic achievement and worse long‑term outcomes, so relying on decade‑old accolades without aligning today’s funding with current needs risks eroding school quality, property values, and the district’s ability to attract and retain strong educators over time.

Budget decisions inevitably involve difficult trade‑offs, and residents may reasonably disagree about priorities. However, an accurate public discussion requires acknowledging the real cost pressures schools face, the limits of “efficiencies,” and the consequences of funding reductions below what educators identify as necessary to meet student needs.

Providing this context allows residents to better understand how budget decisions affect classrooms, services, student outcomes, and the long‑term vitality of Monroe as a community.

Alan Vaglivelo

Alan Vaglivelo is a Democrat serving on the Board of Education. He voted against the board’s $250,000 reduction to Superintendent Joseph Kobza’s budget proposal.

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