The February 15th Shorelines front page article on the Westport five-year financial plan was detailed and listed eigh spending categories where savings might be available. Unfortunately no financial information was provided.

The missing financial details are tabulated below, and were obtained from the proposed FY25 Westport Budget Summary dated 2/13/2024. It is sad that town officials want to present a list of the unpleasant consequences of budget cuts, and choose not to address the real issue of Westport School District costs.

The $2 million Diman Assessment represents 8.7 percent of total education costs and is not easily changed due to an existing debt exclusion for the new Diman Vocational School and 100-plus students choosing to finish their last four years of high school at Diman. It is interesting to note that the 2022 Westport Town Report school census on page 167, shows Grades 9-12 vocational school students from Westport closely matching the number of grade eight departures from the Westport Middle School for the school years ending between 2019 and 2022.

The Town of Westport’s leadership should stop threatening citizens with the loss of services, and consider real ways to reduce town expenses. For example, school system salaries for the 2023. There are 102 individuals receiving more than $80,000 yearly for a total of almost $9.1 million.

Elliot F. Whipple

Westport