Winchester school board sues town over budget

WINCHESTER, Conn. (AP) - The education board in a Connecticut town has sued the town, saying the proposed school budget is too small to adequately educate the community's children.

The Winchester School Board filed suit in Superior Court in Litchfield, claiming the town and selectmen violated laws requiring towns to spend a minimum amount of money on school budgets and provide students with "suitable educational opportunities."

The town's selectmen cut the school board's $22 million request down to $18.6 million. The school board says the cuts put the school budget below the minimum state requirement for education funding.

The Hartford Courant reports that the selectmen say the budget is adequate because school enrollment has declined by 20 percent in recent years and is expected to drop even more. One selectman calls the lawsuit a "farce."

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Information from: The Hartford Courant.