13 April—Today we celebrate Thomas Jefferson’s 282^nd birthday and the rare coincidence of Passover and Palm Sunday. Well, we celebrate Jefferson’s birthday, anyway, and note the Judaeo-Christian coincidence. That done, we commiserate with parents because Region 20 pupils are enjoying their spring recess this week

And last Thursday the Region 20 Board of Education adopted a budget for 2025-26 that will be presented at a public hearing on 21 April, which happens to be the late Queen Elizabeth II’s 99^th birthday.

Litchfield.bz reports that a seven-member majority of the Region 20 Board endorsed the region’s $43,127,000 budget–$1,970,276 (4.79 percent)—higher than the one recommended by acting superintendent Kristin Della Volpe and incoming superintendent Jeffrey Villar. Four members voted against, one member was absent. Since all three Litchfield members voted for the budget, Litchfield-heavy weighted voting wouldn’t have made a difference.

The Region 20 Board of Education majority should be ashamed of itself. Keep in mind that the current budget is carrying a $2.3 million deficit. For which it doesn’t pay to affix blame.

Board chair Tiffany Parkhouse of Warren was “happy that we have something to take to the public” and eager to run it up the flagpole and see who salutes. Well, “Let’s put it put it out there and see what the majority thinks,” is how Tiffany put it.

So may we infer that Tiffany and her board fully expect to make major reductions in their unreasonable budget in order to make it at all palatable to voters in the district-wide referendum on 6 May? Or is that wishful thinking? As it stands, the budget clearly deserves to be rejected and likely will be.

The adopted spending plan restores two teaching positions that had been cut. For $368,000!? But one of them is a music teacher, so it’s okay.

On the other hand, there was comment at the meeting that the region’s top-heavy administrative positions should have been cut to begin with, rather than teachers. Does a small regional school district really need two assistant superintendents and two executive assistants, for instance? And that’s just for starters.

Friday, Litchfield First Selectman Denise Raap agreed. And that none of the four towns’ CEOs was at all happy with the school board’s budget proposal is an understatement.

Vice Chair Robert DeLayo of Warren voted in opposition because board leaders had pledged to support the spending plan recommended by the acting and incoming superintendents.

So the next step is the public hearing. And after that, the NO vote.

Incidentally, nothing about Thursday’s RSD 20 board meeting has appeared—or is likely to appear—in any of Hearst’s allegedly local newspapers in print or online, the Republican-American, The Register Citizen, or The Litchfield County Times.

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