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Elsa Hungaski brought a prop with her to Concert Hall on Wednesday evening: a mock check. "As a taxpayer in Norwalk, I'm willing to put in my extra $60," she said as she held it up to the Norwalk Board of Estimate and Taxation. "I'm sure many people are. There are retired people who will have difficulty with that, but the majority of us are willing to take that extra step."
Hungaski, a teacher at Kendall Elementary School, attended the meeting, which was for the public to voice their opinions about the proposed 2011-12 operating budget for Norwalk Public Schools. About 50 people attended, many of them teachers. A proposed wage freeze for teachers was a hot topic.
"Right now, we're playing a game of chicken," said Tony Ditrio, Kendall's principal and president of the administrators union. "The mayor is waiting for the union to blink, and the unions are waiting for the mayor to blink. The kids are caught in the middle."
Ditrio hadn't planned to speak. He recalled his first week on the job more than 40 years ago, which he spent on strike. "We had no bargaining rights back then," he said. "It wasn't legal to strike, we got threatened to be put in jail." He also said the poor economy, not the teachers, are causing the budget shortfall this year in Norwalk.
Board members agreed, but Chairman Fred Wilms held the line. "If they were to agree to a one-year wage freeze, yes, in an economic sense they would be giving something up. There's no way around that," he said. "But I believe you would gain something infinitely more. That would be the respect and appreciation of the Norwalk community."
Board member Michael Lyons spoke up. "Norwalk is not undertaxed. ... I understand the concerns people have, I have kids. But there are limits on how much we can tax."
Lisa Lenskold, president of the Parent Teacher Organization Council, said her group had been quiet as members hoped the budget would be worked out. "The PTO council executive is very disappointed that the union partners and the Board of Education negotiations have brought no results," she said. "It is clear that all parties have now been at the table at a time of shared sacrifice. It is evident that our children will bear the brunt of the sacrifice from year 2011-12 operating budget."
Are you willing to pay more in taxes to support Norwalk's schools?
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