Greenwich RTM attempts to unravel budget deal at its April 21 meeting
- Guy
- Apr 13
- 2 min read
The Education Committee of the Town's legislative body (RTM - Representative Town Meeting) wants to add back $4 million that was cut from the spending plans of the public schools. But the RTM is prohibited by charter to add back to the budget as approved by the BET (Board of Estimate and Taxation), it can only cut.
How about a Sense of the Meeting Resolution? To get around this, the Education Committee drafted a non-binding Sense of the Meeting Resolution (SOMR) to be presented to the 230-member RTM for a vote on Monday April 21. The SOMR is an attempt by well-meaning public school parents and a well-organized public school administration to pressure the BET into revising its already-approved budget.
An increase of 3% still not enough? The current BET budget approved for the public schools represents an increase of 3% over last year and no cuts were made to public school building projects. The 3% increase is a reduction from the outsized 5% demanded by public schools. As the overall budget now stands, taxpayers will face an already high +2.8% increase in personal property taxes (mill rate) and any upward revisions at this point would increase taxes more.
Defcon 1? Is the outcry by public school advocates really Defcon 1 or just typical budget negotiations (or perhaps political maneuvering ahead of November elections)? The truth is that Greenwich public school enrollment has dropped -5.5% from 8,843 in 2019/20 to 8,354 in 2024/25, a loss of nearly 500 students. Meanwhile, staff has grown over the same period from 1,010 to 1,030. The per-pupil costs of Greenwich public schools have spiked to $28,000 per student annually, the highest in the State of CT.
Between the Lines. The RTM has been bombarded with scathing emails from organized public school advocates against the BET for its decision making. If you think the 2.8% increase is more than enough for taxpayers to bear, you can add your voice to discussion using this easy link here before they vote on April 21.