Our list of supporters includes more than 1,000 Tolland residents, and is rapidly growing. We are Republicans, Democrats, Independents and other. We have a number of affiliations. What do we all have in common? We value education and want to understand and support the highest priority needs. Please join us in the area to the right on this page –>
We get involved because we value the community in which we live, and want to make it better. Republican slate running for Board of Education says, “Historically, Tolland residents have expected our educational system to be better than what is “mandated” by the State. For many of us, it was the education system that attracted us to Tolland.” We know today, that system is not what it once was. Bob Pagoni, Chairman of the Board of Education says, “We have never had level services year to year provided to the students of Tolland in my 8 years on the Board.”
How would we like things to be? We envision a future where education high priorities are first identified and related to why we chose Tolland for our home. The same high priorities are related to why Tolland is identified by others as a “best place to live.” Then, those high priorities are funded. At the same time, the cost curve and revenue sources are managed with shared ownership. Many possibilities are explored . Non-priorities will continue to be given up, as part of a healthy, growing system rather than as part of community erosion.
Since budget referendums began in 2005, a pattern of fighting to minimize cuts to the education budget became established. We do not believe it needs to be this way. We believe residents have much more shared opinion and common aspirations for our community than the current process recognizes. We envision a planning and funding process that reflects our strong sense of community, where we come together constructively, not as part of a process that polarizes one neighbor against the other.
Where we started: Overcrowding in schools.
Friends of Tolland Schools formed in 2001 when residents, especially parents of school-age children in town, became concerned that the problem of overcrowding in the Tolland public schools was not receiving adequate attention by town officials. Enrollment had been increasing steadily over the years, yet a long-term plan for accommodating this population growth was not forthcoming. Students were being taught in hallways, library space had been converted to classroom space, bathrooms and broom closets had been converted to office space, and some subjects had been relegated to push carts. Portable classrooms had already been installed at the high school and more were needed at the middle school and Parker just to get by. UConn had stopped sending its student teachers to work in our schools because our district had become “unstable” and was not a good teaching model.
Two bi-partisan Space Assessment Committees comprised of local volunteers were charged with identifying the best solution. They both arrived at the same conclusion: Tolland needed a new high school. In spite of this consensus of opinion, there was resistance from town officials. Frustration intensified and the Friends of Tolland Schools was born.
We felt it was essential to share what we were learning at the town meetings with our neighbors. Our goal was to protect the future quality of our kids’ education by solving the school space problem, and this had nothing to do with political party affiliation. Friends of Tolland Schools wanted to be as inclusive as possible. 
Regardless of age or political affiliation, all the volunteers agreed that protecting educational quality was paramount. The new Tolland High School, half of which was paid for by the state of Connecticut, opened in September, 2006.
2004, the start of annual budget referendums
The Friends of Tolland Schools mission was not solely to see the construction of a new high school, however. When we formed, we wanted our purpose to include working toward protecting the long-term quality of Tolland’s schools. When the first annual Tolland budget referendum was held in the spring of 2004, we realized that there was a new challenge. It took four referendums to finally pass a town budget in 2004.
Year two: After three referendums in 2005, voters approved a significantly reduced education budget. By sheer luck, state education grant money became available after our budget was passed — a windfall that cannot be counted on in subsequent years — sufficient to reinstate most of the sports and activities that had been cut.
Our recent work
The Friend of Tolland Schools’ works to make it easier for our fellow residents to learn how the annual budget vote will affect our schools and therefore all the residents of Tolland. We plan to influence how the school budget is being formulated, and provide details on when/where/how townspeople can participate in shaping the budget. We will of course remind people to 
V-O-T-E, too! Generally, you will hear us reaching out to our neighbors to say, “Check this out — I think it’s important.”
Tolland residents taking an active interest
None of us have enjoyed the “political” atmosphere of recent years. We also want to be clear about our motives. We are motivated only by the success of our town’s children and the far-reaching benefits that this success will bring to our town as a whole.
FTS wants to focus the positive forces in Tolland. We believe most of our fellow residents agree with us that maintaining the quality of our public schools is worth serious effort. As budget season approaches, we will be asking for new volunteers to join our ranks. We will be renewing our offer to you, to get involved, because you make the difference in Tolland!
