about the difference between a 6.85% increase versus a 6.3% increase in terms of a
dollar perspective. However, he stated it was the optics, stating they need to ask
themselves as a Town Council and as a Board of Education: (1) Whether they were
doing the right thing for the taxpayers; (2) Were they doing the best they could; and
(3) Was this the best they could do. He stated they should be challenging each other;
stating that he understands the tough times people were going through, how
expensive things have gotten, how inflation was affecting everything, not just
municipal and education budgets, but the personal household budgets of our
taxpayers. Therefore, he stated he believed that it was incumbent on him to look at
whether they were being good stewards of the taxpayers money. He stated this was
the type of work that he does every day where he worked, noting that they wanted to
see that you were doing the very best you possibly could. He stated that he was sure
that the Board of Education felt that way about the budget passed and that he could
appreciate that.
Councilor Ryan addressed the State’s Per Pupil Expenditure Average with regard to
Ledyard working to close the gap, noting that he believed that Ledyard was closing
the gap. He stated although it may not be as fast as some would like, that the numbers
he presented earlier this evening demonstrated that Ledyard was outpacing other
School Districts right now. He stated Ledyard may be behind in terms of the Per
Pupil Expenditure, however, he would encourage residents to visit the Secretary of
State’s website which provided the breakdown of how the Per Pupil Expenditures
were aggregated; and where the costs actually go. He stated they could argue whether
or not the Per Pupil Expenditures had a direct relation to the quality of the education.
He stated spending more money does not necessarily provide a better education,
noting the real indicators was the empirical evidence you see in the schools, such as
how the money was spent, the caliber of teachers they were able to get in the
classroom and whether the teachers were able attract and retain the students attention,
noting that this was a student facing service. He stated that he believed Ledyard was
doing that, rhetorically questioning whether the town could do more, commenting
that the town could always do. He stated the point of his comments was to be a good
steward of the taxpayers money and show that they were asking the tough questions
and keeping an eye toward what the town really needed. He concluded by stating that
he appreciated everyone’s viewpoint
Councilor Buhle stated she also reviewed the Board of Education’s proposed Fiscal Year
2024/2025 Budget line by line, noting that she wrote down about 200 questions and
researched them. She stated that she watched the Board of Education review their budget
spreadsheets to create their Wish List and then whittle it down little by little to arrive at
their $38,369,823 budget; therefore, she stated that she felt that the Board of Education
did the best they could. She stated the Board of Education was trying to be responsible
but deliver what their students need. She expressed concern that if they reduced the
Board of Education budget that some of the support programs they have been working to
get in place would not be continued. She stated post Covid that there were a lot of
children that needed special services, noting that it was a lot for a child to experience
something like the Covid Pandemic for two-years during their formative years, stating
the impact was not going to easily go away.
Councilor Ryan stated that he agreed with Councilor Buhle’s concerns regarding the
