Budget cuts. They’re a controversial issue that has seen a lot of attention this past year. Due to a ballooning state deficit and the urgent need to support poorer communities, the Governor’s proposed budget in January significantly reduced funding to over 85 communities, West Hartford being one of them. The cuts were drastic. For example, this budget decreased our education’s cost-sharing grant by about 8 million dollars and shifted another 8 million dollars worth of teacher pension costs onto West Hartford. Our total education budget is about 160 million dollars–resulting in a staggering 10% reduction. Though the final state budget is still being constructed, there are inevitably more cuts to come. While it is important to help our struggling neighbors, it is clear that West Hartford cannot work with the cuts it has been asked to make.

I spoke with the Mayor of West Hartford, Shari Cantor, regarding her thoughts on the budget cuts and their effects on our town. “The Governor’s original budget was too drastic,” she said. “We already are one of the most underfunded municipalities in the state, yet West Hartford has continuously been a shining star in the Hartford region. When people are looking for jobs and see West Hartford, people see a semi-urban, walkable place with town centers, so we’ve attracted a lot of people that might not have moved for a job, but do when they see the community we have here. When I went to school here, we were first out of 169 towns in Connecticut in highest per-pupil spending–now, we’re 127th!” Through strong leadership and careful management, our town has become one of the most successful and effective municipalities in the state.

It is indisputably unfair that West Hartford is being punished, despite it being an incredibly efficient town with a diverse population, (with over 70 languages spoken at home!) a top-notch education system, and a lively community atmosphere. So of course, many are opposed to these budget cuts entirely. The argument that “we shouldn’t be paying for their mistakes” and “Hartford already gets more money per capita than West Hartford does!” are common. Yes, that’s true, but it isn’t the whole picture.

Hartford is struggling. The city has had a structural deficit for a long time, largely because somewhere between 50-53% of their property is unable to be taxed–state buildings, colleges, hospitals, churches, etc. This adds up to about 30 million dollars of tax revenue that the city isn’t receiving. Raising residential taxes isn’t an option because the population is more financially challenged, and the citizens simply wouldn’t be able to afford them. There also is mismanagement and inefficiency in Hartford–where West Hartford has 10,000 students in 17 schools, Hartford has about 20,000 students in 47 schools. Consolidating schools could save an enormous amount of money–fewer salaries, fewer electricity bills, etc. The combination of these several factors led to this dire financial situation, and the city of Hartford announced at the beginning of the year that unless they received more financial support from the state, the city would go bankrupt.

Logically, it doesn’t make sense to live by the “everyone for themselves” philosophy. Hartford provides plentiful services to our state: it is home to our state capitol, our big businesses, and some of Connecticut’s major sites of interests-The Wadsworth Atheneum, the Connecticut Science Center, etc. If they thrive, people are drawn to the surrounding cities as a place to live–meaning more economic

development statewide and more people coming to start a family in West Hartford. On the other hand, a financial crisis will lead to more unemployment and more crime in Hartford, translating to more crime and more unemployment in West Hartford. Our town’s sustainability is largely contingent on Hartford’s success.

More importantly, it’s unethical for the state turn it’s back on Hartford. Take the education system, for example. Cheryl Greenberg, the West Hartford Board of Education Chair, spoke to me about the differences in funding between these two school systems.

“They may be receiving more money from the state, but, for example, they have 77% of their students receiving free/reduced breakfast and lunch, where we have just 25%.There are teachers in Hartford going on crowdsourcing websites like GoFundMe so they can purchase school supplies, like markers, for their classrooms,” Greenberg said. Has there ever been a classroom in West Hartford that didn’t have markers? It is heartbreaking to think that a student who lives just a few miles away from Hall High School could have such a lower quality to education than we have in West Hartford. Every student should have the same opportunities and resources to succeed. 10% of Hartford students are bused to other school systems through the Open Choice program, but no student should have to go to another town to receive a high-quality education.  This is just one aspect of a larger issue, of course. In the end, it would be abdicating our moral responsibility not to lend a hand to our neighbors in Hartford. We cannot be bystanders. There has to be more aid coming from the state, for their benefit and ours.

So it is unquestionable that Hartford needs more support, but also that West Hartford does not deserve the proposed budget. It is no doubt a complicated issue. Cuts need to be made–they just cannot be as harsh as they are now. I stand with Mayor Cantor and Ms. Greenberg as they say that although Hartford needs help, it cannot come at the expense of our town. We truly are a “shining star of the Hartford region,” and we need that money to sustain (and work to improve) our dynamic and diverse community.

As Governor Malloy and the state government work to compromise on a budget, they need to find a balance between helping our poorer neighbors without hurting other communities. This piece isn’t to provide a solution, but to highlight that it is a complex issue. It isn’t as simple as coming down on one side or the other. As Governor Malloy and the state government work to compromise on a budget, they need to find a balance. As Connecticut works to finalize (and hopefully compromise) on the budget, it is imperative that they avoid saving one town by jeopardizing the success of another.