7 May—As the Hearst Republican-American’s declining reader base won’t have read in today’s issue (and probably won’t read in tomorrow’s issue, given the HRA’s disgraceful and unacceptable lack of local coverage), in yesterday’s referendum over 3,000 voters in Goshen, Litchfield, Morris, and Warren annihilated the RSD 20 school board’s irresponsible budget and unpalatable proposal for dealing with the board’s surprise (!?) deficit.

By almost two-to-one on both questions, no less. The RSD $43,1217,907 budget died 1,176 to 2,076 and the proposal to go on the never-never for the $3,530,000 deficit was buried at 1,221 to 2,028.

Both questions failed by mandate-worthy margins in all four towns, most whoppingly (and decisively) in Morris, where the budget went down 136 to 528 and the bail-out tanked 159 to 507. Warren, the board chair’s home town, was closer, 108 to 131 and 103 to 134. Goshen voted 313 to 575 and 326 to 561. And Litchfield came in with 619 to 842 and 633 to 822.

When Litchfield consolidated with Region 6 to form Region 20, the selling point was twofold, to improve education (of course) and to save taxpayers’ money (of course). It may have been inferred by the three Wamogo towns, too, that they could raid Litchfield’s coffers (no way). In all events, what actually sold the consolidation, notwithstanding all the blather about improving education (as everybody knows), was the promise of saving big bucks. That’s precisely what all the optimistic projections indicated, anyway.

So what happened? We need to pin that down before approving the region’s budget and other fiscal matters.

Last month the region’s acting superintendent warned that not giving the board and administration all the scratch they asked for would force substantial staff cuts, including but not limited to two assistant principals, two executive assistants, two secretaries, and lots of certified teachers. And of course cuts to athletic programs, a sine qua non of education at all levels.

School boards and administrations have used those same arguments—threats—since the beginning of public education. A number of voters yesterday had no hesitation in opining that as a start the RSD 20 board and new superintendent could show their good faith and intentions by first getting rid of excessive administrators and some uncertified personnel.

And then fire some teachers. But do people really expect the lucky remaining teachers to deal with more than a handful of spoiled kids in their classes?