Eye on Bethel Presents Bethel Administrators Speaking on Education Funding

The fundamental concern of Bethel’s school leadership revolves around sustainable funding for quality education delivery in Bethel’s public schools. They support the initiatives of the CT Conference of Municipalities (CCM) and the CT Council of Small Towns to change the way education is funded in CT. CCM stated in its 2012 Election Campaign bulletin that “Connecticut is more dependent on property taxes to fund local government than any other state in the nation … 72% of municipal revenue resources.”

Bethel’s school leaders are asking the CT Association of Boards of Education (CABE) and the CT Association of Public School Superintendents (CAPSS) to advocate for legislation that allows municipalities the opportunity to fund public education in ways other than the over-reliance on local property tax collection. They fully endorse a resolution to be proposed in January to the new Legislature that would expand a proposed study of this issue and focus more earnestly on an immediate call for relief. They would like to see legislation that allows municipalities to retain a portion of the sales and income taxes sent to Hartford to help relieve the burden placed on property owners.

They encourage every taxpayer and concerned citizen to join them in this call for relief from the burden placed on property taxes to fund Town services, education and the quality of life we are entitled to in the small communities like Bethel.