Despite concerns about eliminated positions, the Board of Education voted unanimously to approve an 82,652,600 budget request and submit the proposal to the Board of Finance.

The request, which amounts to a 3.82 percent increase over the current budget, is nearly identical to Superintendent Dr. Joseph Erardi’s original request. The only change was an unexpected $50,000 savings in transportation costs that was revealed by Schools Business Manager Sherri-Lin DiNello during the BOE’s budget workshops.

“The superintendent and his team have worked very hard to bring in a conservative budget that is very respectful to the community in these tough economic times,” said board member Jill Notar-Francesco.

She and others expressed reservations about the elimination of 22 full-time positions throughout the district, which reduced the budget request by about $773,000. Four positions at Southington High School,

See BUDGET, page 22

Author and civil rights activist Arthur Miller spoke to Southington High School students about bullying and standing up for the downtrodden during a recent visit.

Miller, a friend of SHS teacher Jan Zaccardo, is the author of “The Journey to Chatham – Why Emmett Till’s Murder Changed America.” He was a childhood friend of Emmett Till, the young black boy who was brutally murdered in Mississippi for speaking to a white woman. The two murderers were acquitted by a jury and later, protected by double jeopardy laws, sold their confession to Look Magazine for a lucrative deal.

The notorious incident inspired many people at the time, including Miller, to join the burgeoning civil rights movement.

Zaccardo said the students in her College Reading course had been learning about the Emmett Till murder and that hearing Miller’s firsthand perspective would be a very valuable experience.

“That story puts a name and a face to bullying,” she said. “He was murdered by bullies and cowards.”

Miller has remained an active humanitarian over the years and said that bullying has remained a constant part of society even though the targets may be different.

“There’s always ‘those people,’ whether it’s Muslims or gays or people we call ‘geeks,’” Miller said. “They become dehumanized, and once they are dehumanized, people can do whatever they want to them.”

While talking with students, he took a firm stand on the issue of bullying, referring to all bullies

See MILLER, page 23

Former Public Works Director Anthony Tranquillo has filed a complaint with the state’s Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO), alleging that age discrimination was the reason behind the recent termination of his employment.

Tranquillo, who is 63, worked in the town’s engineering department from 1972 to January 6 of this year. Most of his tenure was in the position of Town Engineer. In 2007, his position was changed to Director of Public Works.

In the complaint, Tranquillo alleges that during his first meeting with Town Manager Garry Brumback, the newlyappointed administrator asked him his age and how much longer he planned to work. Tranqullo replied that he wanted to stay on for four additional years, when he would be 66 and fully eligible for Social Security.

Age was not mentioned in the brief memo that Brumback sent Tranquillo in January regarding the end of his employment. The decision was attributed to his “inability to adapt to the changes in management style and organizational requirements necessary to meet the goals and objectives of the current management team.”

See TRANQUILLO, page 22