Referendum Supporter Says 2,079 Signatures "And Counting"

A supporter of having a referendum on $800,000 that was cut from the Board of Education's 2011-12 budget reported late Monday that 2,079 signatures "and counting" had been obtained, which would be more than enough to put the $800,000 cut to a townwide vote if the signatures are certified by the Town Clerk's Office.

John Convertito, of Oyster Road, who had requested petitions from the Town Clerk's Office the day after the Representative Town Meeting adopted a $263 million town budget for 2011-12, reported via a text message that 2,079 signatures had been obtained, with roughly another 100 still to be counted. That total would exceed the 1,748 signatures required to have a referendum, which is the equivalent of 5 percent of the town's voters.

But at least 1,748 signatures have to be certified by the Town Clerk's Office for the referendum to be held.

As of 4 p.m. Monday, Assistant Town Clerk Ann Roche reported that petitions with 60 signatures had been submitted by a total of two residents, but it appears the vast majority of petitions were being collected elsewhere. Referendum supporters have until 4:30 p.m. Tuesday to submit their petitions to the Town Clerk's Office.

If the Town Clerk's Office certifies that at least 1,748 signatures are valid, the Board of Selectmen would have to schedule a referendum on a date that is within 21 days to 28 days of the Town Clerk's Office's certification. Then, at least 25 percent of Fairfield voters would have to vote in favor of restoring the $800,000 cut - essentially overturning the RTM's decision - for the $800,000 to be restored. The 25 percent figure doesn't pertain to overall turnout - it pertains to voters who want to overturn the RTM's decision.

Supt. of Schools David G. Title has said that he would eliminate charging a fee for high school students to play on sports teams and reinstate what is proposed to be cut from foreign language instruction in grades 4 to 6 if $800,000 is restored to the school board's $145.68 million budget for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1. The Board of Education Monday night debated Title's recommendations for finding $2.8 million in savings in the $148.5 million budget that the school board had adopted in January.

The RTM's $800,000 cut was on top of $2 million that was cut by the Board of Selectmen, a decision that was backed by the town's Board of Finance.

Meanwhile, Pam Iacono, vice chairman of the Board of Education, suggested late Monday that residents who are unhappy with the RTM's $800,000 cut "take it out at the polls."

Iacono, a Republican, got into hot water with other Republicans about six weeks ago when she chastised RTM members in the front row of a budget meeting - all of whom were Republican leaders - for rolling their eyes, not listening and playing with their Blackberries while she advocated for money to renovate bathrooms at Jennings School.

The RTM's vote to cut $800,000 from the Board of Education's budget passed on a 22-20 vote, with one abstention, and only one Democrat voted in favor of it.

Asked on Monday night if she had anything else to add, Iacono replied, "That will get me in enough trouble."