State official:

WINSTED — It appears as if the protracted battle between the town’s Board of Education and Board of Selectmen over funding the minimum budget requirement (MBR) for school year 2011-12 is nearing an end.In late May, town voters passed a budget that set education funding at $18,600,000, which is $1,449,466 below the state-set MBR.The budget was approved by four of the seven members of the Board of Selectmen: Republicans Ken Fracasso, Karen Beadle and Glenn Albanesius and Democrat Lisa Smith.In late August, Superintendent of Schools Thomas Danehy wrote a letter to Acting Commissioner of State Education George Coleman that said he was concerned the town would not be funding the MBR.In response, Coleman wrote both Danehy and the town a letter on Sept. 1 that sided with the Board of Education and requested the town provide $1,358,149 to the school district, which is $91,317 less than the original MBR.“It is my expectation that the town of Winchester [will] fulfill its statutory responsibility to fund their local Board of Education at a level that is compliant with the requirements of the MBR,” Coleman wrote in his letter. “Funding the Board of Education below the MBR is a direct violation [of] Winchester’s statutory obligation.”Coleman then requests that by Saturday, Oct. 1, the town either provide the school district the additional funds to make up the shortfall or provide a detailed timetable of when the town can pay the additional funds.“In general, there is not a problem with providing the funding through installments,” Coleman wrote. “However, it is critical that the funds be available to the board in a timely enough manner so that the students can benefit.”In response to the letter, Danehy said he is pleased with the decision by Coleman.“All Connecticut children deserve appropriate funding for their education. Winchester students are no exception,” Danehy said. “A town and its community can deal with a year or two of tight budgets, but if that happens year in and year out for a decade or more, the expenses catch up. The cumulative effect shows in curriculum needs, textbook and supply needs, building and maintenance issues and overall decreases in services for students.”The Board of Selectmen did not take any action on Coleman’s letter during its meeting on Monday, Sept. 6.This was despite an item listed on the agenda made by Selectmen Fracasso and Smith concerning the MBR.The motion, as printed in the press packet for the selectmen’s meeting, was to direct the town’s finance manager to place all discretionary, unrestricted grants and revenues received from the state’s Department of Education in the town’s unencumbered fund balance for future use as authorized by the Board of Selectmen.Fracasso was not present at the meeting.Smith asked to table the agenda item to the next meeting, which the other selectmen agreed to do without a formal motion or vote.At the beginning of the meeting, Board of Education member Richard “Doc” Dutton spoke during public comments.“We are now about two months away from municipal elections and I am very hopeful that the Board of Selectmen, as the town’s Board of Finance, will start the process of readjusting the [town’s] budget so the $1.3 million required by state law for education will be placed where it needs to be,” Dutton said.