If Tuesday night’s Board of Education meeting had a theme, it was this: short-term wins, long-term consequences.
While the board was all smiles approving this year’s budget, it didn’t take much listening to realize we’re coasting on borrowed time. The financial plan relies on a $276,000 stopgap from the Schools Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) - a one-time fund that will not be available next year.
Let’s put it plainly: this year’s budget balances on a gimmick. And when that SHIF money dries up, the district will face a gaping hole, forcing cuts, program reductions, or a tax spike - none of which are easy pills to swallow.
So why didn’t the board raise taxes slightly now to soften the blow for next year? Why not take the more responsible (if politically inconvenient) path?
Enter Tony Alfano: The Finance Chair With an Escape Plan
Tony Alfano, who chairs the Finance Committee and championed this budget, seemed satisfied with the outcome. And perhaps it’s easier to be at peace with a shaky budget when you’re already planning your exit.
That’s right - Alfano is currently running for Town Council. If elected, he’ll be gone long before the fiscal mess he helped engineer comes home to roost. As one resident joked after the meeting, “It’s easy to kick the can down the road when you don’t plan on being around to pick it up.”
The irony? During the meeting, Alfano praised the budget as a win-win. But what kind of win saddles next year’s students, teachers, and taxpayers with impossible choices?
We Deserve Better Than Budget Theater
A truly responsible budget requires foresight - not just fanfare. It means confronting tough questions now, not punting them down the line and hoping no one notices.
And yes, making unpopular decisions can be hard. But that’s the job. Especially if you’re the one steering the ship.
The reality is: next year, the SHIF money will be gone. The bills will come due. And unless the board takes real corrective action, the district may be forced into choices that hurt classrooms, not just spreadsheets.
Because when the music stops, and there’s no chair left to sit in - Tony won’t be in the room.