Bethel High School - Wildcat Yearbook (Bethel, CT)

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 tate school aid declines some more =----------pinion — ark in 1969, the Connecticut legislature ed general state aid for local education i flat basis, $200 per pupil in average y membership in each city, town and ol district. ormerly, smaller communities received igger proportionate share of state aid i did larger cities and Jpwns. 1971, the legisla' it to $210 per p per pupil In gi $225 per pupi 215 per pupil in le Connecticut P nci) has issue' 1 and state spe indary education. is instructive to rating expenses eased, both in specific towns and across state, in the four yea re Sjnce the last or change we QAM £ general state to local educa.T-.., ethel is ud $208 per pupil, Brookfield, look per at the way pupil have $305, Redding, $245, Ridgefield $248, Sherman $275, Southbury $255, Warren, $162, Washington, Bridgewater and Roxbury, $410; Wilton $353, Woodbury, $325. Any attempt to compare these figures town by town or with the state average for ie period (an increase of $267 per zould be meaningless because of the nt conditions in each locality over riod of four fiscal years, they do indicate the increased burden : local property tax as each city, town f:hool district strives to comply with education laws requiring good schools, special services, collective bargaining with employes and the like. Let’s look now at what may be the most V'p.sj (VjLo 3 in the CpEC booklet, the — -------total spending on public elementary and secondary education in Connecticut, with special attention to Fiscal 1970 and Fiscal 1973. This shows total expenditures went up $185.9 million from $665 million in 1969-70 to Federal aid during this period rose million, from $19.4 million in ’969-70 to million in the last fiscal year. State aid in all its forms, general, sp« TVOBNT VUNC.IL. ding gr — —«... ,-•».■.............. .vw9'70 to $ million last year, an increase of million. That left the major burden on the property tax. Expenditures from general funds of cities and towns of state went from $419.2 million in 1969- $579.8 last year, a jump of $160.6 mill State aid went up less than 10 per c not even offsetting the decline in the v of the dollar during this period. Payments by home owners and property owners for education purp went up more than 38 per cent during same period. Justice to home owners requires the s to make a substantial increase in its si of the cost of pro —1----------- secondary educatior FRESX M€aJ this is to increase the aum grant to at It Nixon address may touch on Watery wilted bouquet for Vietnam erajyeterans resident Nixon's proposal to Congress an 8 per cent “cost of living” increase educational benefits to Vietnam era trans falls far short of doing justice to ie veterans, or of meeting the increased of living. he educational benefits under the World II GI bill” provided for full payment uition and fees directlv to the school or :ge attended bv the veteran, plus $75 thi:WOW£Cofal 6- ? those rs, $ s wem muie uidii twice as far as it s now. ietnam era veterans are entitled to the id total of $220 a month, from which must pay all living expenses plus ion, fees and books. Most of the latter must be paid in lur p, O s vj V -dde a fund of $200 millio me of tKn Af I 1 W sums at the start of each semester, and this is a factor in discouraging many eligible veterans from seeking educational benefits. Even if they could borrow the sums needed for the payments, they do not see how they can pay it back from the limited monthly grant they receive. President Nixon’s proposal to increase this montly stipend to $237.60 falls far short of the $270.60 proposal already adopted by the Senate Veterans Committee. It also falls short of a proposal by some Republicans in thp TtS. late to increase th UoC-KfcY 3 g per equalize tuition charges across the corn It is little wonder that Represents Silvio O. Conte, the senior Republican ii Massachusetts congressional delega has termed the President’s mes; dissappointing” in its section on ed tional benefits. The President, according to a Vi House spokesman, sent his vetei message to Congress, in advance of state of the union message tonight, bec he wanted to mark the first anniversar the signing of the Paris peace accord; Vietnam. . This “first annivers; f Vjquet w; rather wilted one Widening the credibility gap once more or three months, the National News ncil has been striving to get from sident Nixon or from his press ■etary, Ron Ziegler, specific charges so council can examine the complaint Mr. oj nad outrageous icigjj j expense of obtaining transcripts of network evening newscasts and commentaries. They covered six subjects which Ziegler said were the areas involved in the President's complaints from December, 1972. to Octoher 1973 telephone calls and telegrams, the W House has not provided a single spec detail to back up the President’s char; let alone to permit the council to undert the investigation it is willing to pursue ——-——i

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BETHEL ADMINISTRATION In the 1971 edition of WILDCAT, there appears an ad placed by the Class of 1974 (then freshmen) which was signed, The Class renown for Energy, Intelligence, Spirit, and Perseverance. It seems to me that in looking back, the only characteristic omitted was Vision, because members of the Class of 1974 not only forecasted the future in that prophetic inscription, they fulfilled it as well. Congratulations and best wishes to each of you for continued large doses of the same ingredients. Gerard E. Murphy Superintendent of Schools Gerard E. Murphy Superintendent of Schools Arnold Blum Business Manager Robert Gilchrest 7

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WeTcKer hstslVtd legislative VfjmTS Opinions of the people ite VSItl CUrtgresiS in Aci ” a publication from Weicl A PS e the state’s junior senate imruuuced the following bills: —With Sen. Birch Bayh, ’ to repeal the so-called 4 which added approximate to the price of a loa Introduced March 2, the b Senate as an amendn Omnibus Farm Bill on Ju signed into law Aug. 10. —With Sen. Warren G. I Wash., and Norris Cot comprehensive fire legisla the report of the two-year National Commissio Prevention and Cont recommended increas assistance to state and loci units. The legislation € National Fire Prevention (FIREPAC) program Department of Commere Fire Fighting Acadeir research and education Senate passed the bill No House is expected to vote early this year. bill to broad ions to insure huma lals transported b common carriers. The bi before the Senate Committee, of which V member, and awaiting a House Agriculture Comr Weicker submitted testirr to the House governmer subcommittee hearings o in air shipments of domes —Legislation requiring environmental impact s include consideration of social and economic irnpa on a envir was introduced April 27 a: before tlie Senate Interioi with hearings on it possib —An amendment, aul million in interest subsidi bonds issued by state h agencies for low- and mod housing, to the Revised H 1973. The amendment was the Senate Banking Comm 19 and floor action on the entire bill is possible in February. —The “Lobster Conservation and Control Act of 1973“ to allow the U.S. to enforce harvesting and conservation regulations against foreign offshore fishing fleets, which a.......... depleted lobster resource in iuei supplies. '1 ne amenamem passed the Senate Nov. 15, but the legislation itself was stalled by House-Senate differences. comme The bill authorizes uic Mauuirai nci utiaUtiCS and Space Administration to spend $50 million during five years to carry out a demonstration program. The Senate Space Committee has tentatively scheduled hearings on the bill for early —An amendment to subcommittee campaij provide that a complet candidate’s campai available to the public an election for fedc amendment was defca ipaign each ising od for ipaign senate only posal. ews h Protection Act” to al protection outside of c protection inside coi Judiciary Committi reporting out a News S Bill similar to Weicke lay spur S Committee action. trong side and never adjusted. “We had that play all the tim -fill, “but you have to save someth he second half, don’t you?” St. Louis’ 32-10 upset of Atlant illy assured that both Dallas and ngton will move into the playc Cowboys as division champio Redskins as the wild card. So it ,'eivable that they could meet agai NFC championship game. By t Redskins may have adjusted :hanges in the Dallas offense. But Landry will have some new wrin Allen. You can bet he’s been something. Bethel bri The Center School PTO wil card party Thursday at 7:30 j high school auditorium. De: be served. Local merch. donated several prizes whi raffled. Tickets are availal door. Further informatioi obtained by contacting Mn Valente, chairman. The Sixty Plus Club of E meet Feb. 12 at 1:30 p.m. at Homes. After the business m Sweet Adelines, a women’s t singing group, will entertain it By Bob Chuvala vi News-Times staff ti 3n The cost of operating Danbury-area public schools continued to rise last year, with the cost of educating generally outstripping the enrollment. Kent's rising budget also rel addition to the Center School t constructed three years ago “I decrease in enrollment start said. But while the kindergarten seventh grade enrollment is d The United Methodist Cl lonor William Shaw at a dinr at 5:30 p.m. at the church retired as sexton of the chun years of service. Frie community residents have be Reservations may be' contacting the church office, be no charge for the dinner. The Woman’s Guild of Congregational Church will n off, the big boom of a few year in the chun