To the Editor:

On behalf of the students and staff of Pomperaug Regional School District #15, I wish to express my great thanks to the citizens of Middlebury and Southbury for their support of the District’s 2004-05 school budget.

I particularly would like to thank the other members of the Board of Education who met with the communities and carefully prepared the budget prior to the referendums. Board of Education finance chairman Michael Kenausis contributed his invaluable experience to craft a budget that would address the needs of the students while weighing the taxpayer’s ability to pay.

The Board also would like to recognize the selectmen from the two towns as well as the representatives from the Middlebury and Southbury Boards of Finance. This is the first time in history that the Southbury Board of Finance unanimously supported the budget and I believe it is due to the strong cooperation developed this year between our two boards.

The Board of Education also owes a great deal of gratitude to the parents, grandparents, and PTO members who actively and publicly have supported this budget. The work they did to get people out to the polls really helped to get the budget passed.

I wish to commend the principals and staff members who agonized over budget decisions. When the budget was first being developed in the fall, the Region 15 administrators and teachers offered program suggestions to strengthen the school systems. We have had to delay, cut, or consolidate programs to streamline the 2004-05 budget and we appreciate their understanding.

Finally, I want to thank our superintendent of schools, Dr. Frank Sippy, and assistant superintendents, Dr. Lois Lanning and Mr. Ed Arum, for their hard work putting together the budget proposals and their presentations to the town leaders, citizens, PTOs, and the Board of Education.

By supporting the 2004-05 school budget, you have made the Region 15 Board of Education stewards of your hard earned tax dollars. We do not take this responsibility lightly and will do our very best to keep this school district strong and help bring the best education possible to the children of Middlebury and Southbury

Thank you all again for your support of the 2004-05 Region 15 school budget.

Joseph J. Drauss

Chairperson

Region 15 Board of Education

203-758-8258