$228,939. That’s how much the State budget signed into law (and voted on by Aimee Berger-Girvalo) removed from our school district’s 2021-2022 budget. In a time when special education costs are rising due to increased need and incredibly high inflation, our Representative inexplicably thought that Ridgefield deserved less. Needed less. The budget also cuts our reimbursement percentage going forward, so our residents will be asked to pay even more. She could have at least shown up to one Board of Education meeting to explain, but she didn’t
As the new chair of the BOE Budget and Finance committee, our Board now has to decide what line items get less funding next year, or what gets cut. It didn’t have to happen.
Bob Hebert has been involved in the Town budget for many years. He knows what unfunded mandates do to our budget, he knows the damage that cuts to the meager amount that Ridgefield gets from the State can do.
Town residents send over $130 million to the State in income taxes. We get back less than 2% of this, including schools and road repair. A true advocate at the State level should be working to do better.
We can’t afford to have State Representatives that vote party line without understanding the impact on those in town who most need help. We can’t afford to have State Representatives that don’t show up to town meetings to discuss their actions. We can’t afford to lose $228,000 from our Special Education budget.
I’m voting for Bob Hebert because of his decades of service to the town. Decades of actual work and showing up. He will represent all of Ridgefield.
Sean McEvoy
High Ridge Avenue