At Sharon’s Board of Finance Budget Meeting last week, more than half the time allotted for discussion was devoted to the Connecticut statute everyone loves to hate, Minimum Budget Requirement, or MBR.

First established by the Connecticut General Assembly in 1975, it was, with the best of intentions, meant to ensure that towns and school districts, particularly those with lower- or under-performing schools, used monies earmarked for education for that purpose and no other.

But over time MBR compliance has morphed into a remarkably complicated bureaucratic process and led to a wealth of unintended consequences. The basic tenet of MBR says that a school cannot make a budget that is less than the budget it had the previous year unless it can meet a set of “exceptions.” These exceptions have many requirements.

The bottom line: Schools and the towns their students come from do not control their own education budgets. They must make budgets that meet the state’s requirements, and cannot make budgets that reflect the actual spending they plan to do in any given year.

The frustration this leads to — for parents, taxpayers, town officers, educators, and board of education officials — is very real. The solution lies in getting the General Assembly to change the statute to return budgetary control, or at least more budgetary control, to communities across Connecticut. Local boards of education can’t fix this by themselves, the legislature has to step up.

If you are concerned about MBR, contact your state assembly representatives, Maria Horn or Stephen Harding, on their websites, or Kevin Chambers, who runs the MBR program, at kevin.chambers@ct.gov.

 

 

Another topic that surfaced in Sharon during the budget deliberations —  should town governments help support the nonprofit organizations that bring services and cultural enrichment to their communities or should these groups be left to go about their own fundraising? It’s an interesting and somewhat surprising question. Many U.S. nonprofit groups get support from, and work collaboratively with, government entities at the local, state, and even federal level.

Institutions such as the Hotchkiss Library of Sharon and the Sharon Historical Society help anchor and build the communities they serve, communities of passionate readers, of life-long students, of families and friends, of energetic and engaged volunteers, providing many different opportunities for Sharon residents to connect with each other around shared interests and concerns.

These activities align with the town’s responsibility to promote the public good. Town support of its nonprofit partners is not frivolous, it’s essential.

Latest News

Racecars roar in NASCAR’s return to Lime Rock Park

High-speed action made for a weekend of excitement at Lime Rock Park Friday and Saturday, June 27-28.

Photo by Simon Markow

LAKEVILLE — For the first time since 2011, Lime Rock Park hosted National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing events June 27 and 28.

It was billed as the largest event in modern track history with an estimated 20,000 fans attending.

Keep ReadingShow less
Joseph Robert Meehan

SALISBURY — Joseph Robert Meehan the 2nd,photographer, college professor and nearly 50 year resident of Salisbury, passed away peacefully at Noble Horizon on June 17, 2025. He was 83.

He was the son of Joseph Meehan the 1st and his mother, Anna Burawa of Levittown, New York, and sister Joanne, of Montgomery, New York.

Keep ReadingShow less
Florence Olive Zutter Murphy

STANFORDVILLE, New York — It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Florence Olive Zutter Murphy, who went home to be with the Lord on June 16, 2025, at the age of 99.

She was born in Sharon, Connecticut on Nov. 20, 1925, and was a long time resident of the Dutchess County area.

Keep ReadingShow less
Chore Service hosts annual garden party fundraiser

Chore Service hosted 250 supporters at it’s annual Garden Party fundraiser.

Bob Ellwood

On Saturday, June 21, Mort Klaus, longtime Sharon resident, hosted 250 enthusiastic supporters of Northwest Corner’s beloved nonprofit, Chore Service at his stunning 175-acre property. Chore Service provides essential non-medical support to help older adults and those with disabilities maintain their independence and quality of life in their own homes.

Jane MacLaren, Executive Director, and Dolores Perotti, Board President, personally welcomed arriving attendees. The well-stocked bar and enticing hors d’oeuvres table were popular destinations as the crowd waited for the afternoon’s presentations.

Keep ReadingShow less