10 June—Yesterday’s publication of Region 20 Superintendent Jeffrey Villar’s eloquent plea—because when you get right down to it that’s what it was—for passage of the new region’s third attempt at a budget educed a number of comments. Unfortunately, for social and business reasons the commenters—all critics, as it happens—have asked to remain anonymous.

(That’s entirely understandable, since education-related budgets have through the years evinced undue emotional rather than rational reaction in Region 20’s four towns. Businesses owned by critics have lost custom, for instance, and critics have been ostracized.)

The following comments have been edited only for grammar and punctuation, by the way.

Within minutes of the direct link to the Daily Disquisition having been sent out, this message was received: “Ha, I note our new super has the wrong credentials after his name, Ph.D. We should have hired someone with the credential CPA. Further, rather than use the unknown threat of ‘further cuts’ to balance the budget, perhaps challenge the super to show us how the budget could be balanced and reveal the nature of the ‘cuts’ and let the community develop a feel for how not choosing to fund further monies might work or not. Let’s call the devil known rather than be afraid of the devil unknown.”

In the afternoon, an emailer asked, “What does Villar mean by ‘run out of meaningful reductions’? Be specific. He was hired because he did such a great job reducing in Mass, so why can’t he do one here? Why can’t he ‘add more responsibilities to classroom teachers’? I used to be a ‘classroom teacher’ when classes were bigger and pay and union support sucked. What responsibilities outside of classrooms? Now teachers have much better pay and no more responsibility. Let Villar earn his $280,000 by cutting more. Welcome to CT.”

Also in the afternoon: “Villar should be a politician because of his bullshitting. He should go to work for your pal Trump. I bet he won’t get his budget passed unless he cuts a lot more instead of bullshitting.”
(Editor’s note: I take offense at having Trump called my pal, even sarcastically.)

So we’ll see how much or how little the RSD 20 board whittles off the budget tonight as it tries to get a positive result in the third referendum on 18 June. Three strikes and you’re out? Or third time lucky?