This week, the Middlebury Board of Finance (BOF) and Board of Selectmen (BOS) have a special joint budget meeting at 7pm in the Town Hall Conference Room on Thursday, March 16th. It does not appear this meeting will be available on Zoom, so it's important that residents attend to witness what is proposed and decided upon. Public Comment is allowed and highly encouraged.
The agenda is available here: https://www.middlebury-ct.org/sites/g/files/vyhlif6871/f/agendas/joint_bos_and_bof_special_mtg_agenda_03162023.pdf
There is special concern surrounding the proposed 2023-24 Region 15 school budget. First, the proposed budget increase is largely driven by contractual salary increases and inflation-driven increases in energy, transportation, health insurance, and out of district tuition costs. Middlebury also gained additional students in the last year while Southbury lost more graduating seniors, so the percentage of the budget Middlebury is responsible for also shifted higher.
Second, the pool at PHS is in dire need of repairs, and the BOE is considering a repair bond to cover the estimated $3.5M in repair costs. It would cover this bond cost using a current bond payment that ends this year, and other needed capital repairs such as fire panels, HVAC systems, tennis courts and away bleachers would also be included in the repair bond.
The Superintendent's budget presentation is available here: https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1677598826/region15org/baq630gx5tdlv7jbjv2z/R15Budget2023-24FINAL.pdf
The PHS Girls Swim and Dive team are State Champions, and the Boys Team just won the South-West Conference Championship on March 2nd. We have champion athletes at PHS, and our facilities don't support the exceptional student athletes we're producing. The priorities presented at the special joint budget meeting on Thursday will indicate how Middlebury officials "feel" about the proposed school budget. Without your input, the BOF and BOS may vote not to support the Region 15 school budget.
If you can't attend any of the meetings, please email your opinion to:
First Selectman Ed St. John: firstselectman@middlebury-ct.org
Selectwoman Elaine Strobel: estrobel@middlebury-ct.org
Selectman Ralph Barra: rbarra@middlebury-ct.org
Region 15 Board of Education: Region15BOE@Region15.org
