TRUMBULL SCHOOLS Tax increases pass for career center, 5 districts; 4 fail

The Weathersfield school levy passed by 15 votes.
By PEGGY SINKOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
Levies for five Trumbull County school districts and a levy for the Trumbull Career and Technical Center were approved by voters.
Voters in four other Trumbull County districts, however, rejected levies. Voters in Liberty, Newton Falls, Brookfield and Bristol voted against their school levies.
Bristol, which has been in state-declared fiscal emergency for about a year, was asking voters to approve a five-year, 5.5-mill additional levy.
"I'm very disappointed," said schools Superintendent Marty Santillo. "I'm really disappointed for the students."
Santillo said he does not know the reason why the district's levy attempts have failed.
"It's a good community," Santillo said. "I think everyone keeps wanting the state to fix the problem."
Third time in Liberty
Liberty voters, for the third time, rejected a five-year, 7.9-mill additional levy which would generate $1.8 million. It's the same levy rejected by voters in March and August.
Voters in Lakeview approved a five-year, 3.4-mill renewal levy which generates about $890,000 annually but rejected a five-year, 4.5-mill additional levy which would bring in about $1.145 million a year.
Schools Superintendent Matthew Chojnacki could not be reached. He has said that without the new levy, the district will implement a "very expensive" pay-to-participate plan for student extracurricular activities.
Levies were passed in Weathersfield, Southington, Howland, LaBrae and for the Trumbull Career and Technical Center.
The Weathersfield levy passed by 15 votes, unofficially. The five-year, 5.5-mill additional levy will generate $538,168 annually. It's the same millage rejected by voters in the August special election.
Michael Hanshaw, Weathersfield superintendent, could not be reached. But he had said the levy was needed to continue the academic excellence of the school district.
Cuts in Weathersfield
Weathersfield has already cut about $900,000 from its personnel budget by not replacing staff who have retired or taken other jobs. Busing has been cut to the minimum required by the state, and employees agreed to changes in the health-care plan to save money.
The district took a hit in 2002 when RIM Titanium changed its accounting methods, reducing the personal property taxes it pays to the district by about $620,000.
sinkovich@vindy.com