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Category: Analysis

The author reviews an issue with the goal of explaining a topic, or convincing the audience of something. Analysis may include partisan views.

  • Mayor Marotta, if Rocky Hill schools are fully funded, why are we cutting programs?

    Mayor Marotta, if Rocky Hill schools are fully funded, why are we cutting programs?

    This article represents the opinion of the author and not of the Rocky Hill Board of Education. 

    Dear Mayor Marotta,

    I was a bit confused by a recent message you published regarding our schools. As you know, the Board of Education was forced to make significant reductions to its budget. If, as you’ve stated, you believe the district was fully funded, I’m trying to understand why you think such drastic measures were still necessary.

    While it is true that the Town Council increased the BOE budget on paper, the messaging overlooked the substantial cost drivers we are obligated to meet, namely, negotiated salary increases and rising insurance costs. These contractual and industry-standard expenses are essential to remaining competitive, particularly at a time when districts across the state are facing a teacher shortage. 

    Our district already ranks among the lowest in per-pupil spending statewide, and the lowest within our DRG, yet we perform in the 20s academically. That should demonstrate that the board is fiscally responsible and invests wisely in our classrooms. 

    The impact of the cuts this year is visible. We have 2nd-grade classrooms with 23 students, 4th-grade classrooms with 24 students, when research consistently shows that early elementary literacy thrives in smaller settings, ideally around 18 students. Even a small increase materially affects instructional time, particularly during foundational reading years.

    It is my understanding that the Town Manager recommended a $350,000 reduction, and the Republican members of the Town Council chose to almost double that number, cutting $650,000. I am interested in understanding the rationale behind exceeding the professional recommendation. Are we intentionally moving toward being the lowest-funded district in the state?

    I also want to acknowledge something you mentioned, that the Town Council does not make line item decisions for the BOE budget. That is absolutely correct. However, the Town Council does control the purse strings, and the funding level directly determines what programs and staffing they are able to sustain. For that reason, open, accurate, and consistent communication between the BOE, the Town Council, and the liaison role is essential. It’s unfortunate that the school liaison is not held accountable for not providing reports or attending BOE meetings. 

    I believe stronger communication could have helped avoid some of the challenges we’re now facing. These cuts had real instructional consequences. The BOE was unable to hire additional teachers to reduce class sizes. They could not fund a  World Languages program at Moser. These are not minor adjustments; they are program losses that directly affect students.

    If you believe Rocky Hill Schools were fully funded, how do you reconcile that with the need to cut programs and increase class sizes? Do you believe these outcomes are insignificant, or do you disagree that the cuts caused them?

    I believe our schools are great, and want to make sure they continue to be. Our goal should be to move the district forward, not backwards. The Central Office has done an exceptional job managing an increasingly limited budget, but it cannot overcome structural underfunding. Without appropriate support, sustaining the quality of our schools becomes an impossible task. 

    The Democrats running for Town Council and the Board of Education this election will not only prioritize funding necessary programs and maintenance for our schools, but also collaborate better with our educators. That’s not just my opinion; it is the opinion of the Rocky HIll Teachers Association, which endorsed the entire Democratic slate. Rocky Hill residents must vote for change to ensure the best environment for our students and teachers. 

  • How Can Rocky Hill Stop Tax Increases? Through Planning, Partnerships, and Responsible Growth

    How Can Rocky Hill Stop Tax Increases? Through Planning, Partnerships, and Responsible Growth

    Rocky Hill’s current mayor, Lisa Marotta, has done a lot of explaining recently about why taxes have continued to rise under her administration. In an opinion article in the Rocky Hill Life Magazine, the mayor attributed the town’s property taxes increase, and cuts to the library and school programs to forces beyond her control, laying the blame on the state.  In a recent debate, she also claimed that her administration’s 10-year tax abatement for the Kelson Row development was somehow a success for the town. Rocky Hill needs leadership that offers a sound strategy, not excuses.  How can we stop our taxes from continuing to increase?

    A smiling bearded man in a suit

    Allan Smith, the Democratic candidate for Mayor of Rocky Hill, believes in problem-solving and being action oriented.   Allan is a small business owner who believes in creativity and collaboration, not complaining.  Allan’s action plan if he were to become mayor includes the following initiatives so Rocky Hill moves forward in a new way:

    • Exploring sharing services across departments and neighboring towns to save costs & increase efficiency.  Allan’s approach would be partnering with neighboring towns by sharing certain services without losing local control.  Shared services projects are a way to lower costs for certain town assets and resources not always being used (think seasonal street-sweepers and tree-trimming equipment).  Our current mayor has touted their increased attention to shared services like partnering with Wethersfield to work on the Silas Deane, however, it was our neighboring towns who led these projects and brought Rocky Hill along. Allan is a mayoral candidate who wants to be first to the table to represent Rocky Hill.  He already has relationships with the neighboring town leaders, so can join this effort quickly to try to lower Rocky Hill’s costs.
    • Banding together with other mayors to argue for legislative change to the PILOT funding formula.  PILOT is a state program that funds part of town’s property taxes because certain town properties aren’t required to pay taxes (for example, Dinosaur State Park).  Mayor Marotta’s approach has been to write opinion pieces in local newspapers and testify at the state capitol complaining that PILOT funding is not increasing enough.  Allan believes in doing, not complaining.  Other towns are getting more money from their state  (for example, Wethersfield getting $200+ million for 70% reimbursement toward new schools) because there is closer cooperation with their town and state representatives.  Allan’s approach will be to have a unified front with Rocky Hill’s Representative Kerry Wood and State Senator Matt Lesser to identify projects and more effectively push for Rocky Hill to get its fair share of grants and PILOT funding.
    • Change Rocky Hill’s tax base to “diversity revenue”. Diversity revenue means finding different ways for a town to receive income.   As a certified commercial real estate agent, Allan understands what developers and property owners need to be successful.  In the last town re-valuation, Rocky Hill’s residential property tax income had to be used for more of the town’s budget because more business offices are vacant and less valuable since 2018.  We need someone on staff to exclusively help connect businesses with the town and streamline economic development. Allan would propose hiring a full-time business development manager to attract new businesses and fill vacancies.

    Regarding Kelson Row, in the recent Rocky Hill conversation event between Allan and Mayor Marotta, Allan pointed out that, because of the mayor’s tax reduction deal, Rocky Hill will lose more than $10 million dollars in tax revenue over the next 10 years or more.  Further, if Kelson Row was being taxed for the full amount it owes, even with being partially completed, Rocky Hill could have avoided cuts to our schools, public safety, and library or shrunk the property tax increases in this year’s budget. Allan’s approach would have been a modest tax reduction to allow the developer to “get off the ground”, but only for a short period until they began collecting rents, and residents begin moving in and using town services. 

    Allan Smith illustrates how Mayor Marotta admits that Kelson Row tax abatements cost Rocky Hill $1.1 million a year.

    Allan Smith believes it’s a mayor’s job to make sure the town gets the state funding it needs and tax income it deserves so it can evolve and thrive.  Vote for Allan Smith if that’s where you want Rocky Hill to go from here!