Money Is the Root of All Arguments

Every argument in Barrington comes down to money. To put up a bath house at the beach, how much money? $300,000+? A new ball field is upwards of $600,000? If we let go the trash collectors we can save hundreds of thousands and not have to buy new trucks!

Every argument comes down to money. Zion Will cost too much to buy, even more to fix up and maintain. But if we don't buy it, some nonprofit housing agency with a mission to bring the disadvantaged to Barrington might buy  and we could end up with 15-20 Sweetbriar equivalents over there.

We could have 600-800 more students, many with special needs to educate for the rest of time. And another school! How much money is that going to cost us? How do you explain that to someone on Rumstick Point who is angry that their property that they bought years ago for $50,000, and  whose taxes are now higher than a new well connected state legislature aid. And they never even had any kids ever in the schools!

I mean everyone wants to pay their fair share, but when your property taxes for one year alone exceed the cost of a  house in East Providence or Warren, I begin to wonder if it is fair after all.

Money is at the root of all of it.

Tomorrow night at the appropriations meeting we will discuss the carefully choreographed compromise that is our budget. The town tightened its belt once again, and managed to take half what they figured they would need. And the schools, when the COA asked for a $900,000 reduction in the increase they wanted, the schools once again raised the boogeyman, the specter of up to 23 teacher layoffs and the elimination of freshman sports. 

But rest easy. Both sides agreed to a raise in appropriation of half the amount in question or $450,000. So both sides nominally agree. Of course the PTOs can still ( and probably will) make a motion for  more money at the town financial meeting.

But before they do I have a question: If with a $900,000 reduction there were going to be 23 teacher layoffs, how come with a $450,000 reduction there are going to be none? The math seems a little odd.

And would anyone like to give me odds that even with the $450,000 reduction and no teacher layoffs, that the schools will still have a surplus next year? Because that is a bet I'd sure like to make.