On Sept. 29 Alyssa Siegel-Miles thanked Rep. Christine Conley for her leadership “Conley believes in education.” But believing in education requires fiscal responsibility in funding that belief.

As a member of the committee overseeing the $65 million Ledyard school projects, I witnessed that Rep. Conley's love of education did not include watching out for the taxpayers when this “shovel-ready” project was left off the 2017 state bonding authorization. And she was nowhere to be found as Ledyard officials appealed for reinstatement of those funds in meetings with state education department. Consequently this project was delayed for a year, and Ledyard and state taxpayers paid for that delay. 

Siegel-Miles further states, “Rep. Conley was able to restore funds to Ledyard that were cut under the governor’s executive order.” In fact, Ledyard taxpayers paid when Conley failed to support a bipartisan budget that fully funded Ledyard education. Instead she supported a budget that gave the governor the ability to cut $1.8 million in Ledyard school aid, resulting in a supplemental tax bill to Ledyard homeowners and over $800,000 in cuts to education spending. No state funds were reinstated for Ledyard schools.

Support for education includes fiscal responsibility, which Rep. Conley clearly does not believe. 

John Rodolico

Ledyard