Officials trim schools budget by $88,000

CROMWELL >> The Board of Finance completed three nights of budget review on Monday by reducing the education budget by $88,000.

The reduction in the proposed increase passed — but only just. The board split 3-2 in voting to trim the Board of Education’s increase to 2 percent, down from 2.35 percent.

Board member Bob Milardo said he voted against the proposed reduction because it didn’t go far enough.

“It’s not low enough,” he said as the meeting adjourned.

By contrast, Joseph Corlis, the finance board’s liaison to the Board of Education, said he voted against the proposal because it went too far and might mean “there could be layoffs.”

However, Superintendent of Schools Paula M. Talty, who was presenting her last budget before she retires in June, said any reduction in staffing could be achieved through attrition.

With the $88,000 reduction, the education budget stands at $29.34 million.

The board on Monday also completed action on the general government (noneducation) portion of the budget as well, after reviewing the town planner’s and assessor’s budgets in addition to the $3.3 million police/public safety budget.

The general government budget is $16.22 million, an increase of 1.43 percent over the budget that was approved at last year’s referendum.

The finance board also approved the debt service portion of the budget, the interest the town pays on previously approved major infrastructure projects.

Debt service is $3.69 million, a 2.77 percent increase — driven in large part by the $5.5 million bond issue approved by residents in June of last year.

The total proposed 201718 budget is $49.25 million, a 1.87 percent increase over the budget adopted at referendum last year.

As they worked to develop the budget that will be presented to residents at a May 2 referendum, finance board members repeatedly acknowledged the continuing uncertainty about what level of aid the town might expect from the state. At issue is the threat the state could reduce Education Cost Sharing funding and/or require the cities and towns to pick up a portion of the teachers’ pension costs.

It was against that background that finance board Vice Chairman Julius C. Neto raised the issue of reducing the projected education increase. “I know you’ve done an excellent job,” he told Talty.

However, “Is there a need to do some tweaking” of the school budget? Neto asked.

As he proposed the $88,000 reduction, Neto said, “I know there will there be some pain, but is it doable?”

Fellow board member Allan Spotts concurred with Neto, saying the “unknowns” about the level of state aid continue to pile up, one atop another. “We have never been faced with this much uncertainty,” Spotts said.

Talty said she shared the board’s concerns. “I certainly understand your need to be responsive to the taxpayers. You ask me if we could live with a 2-percent increase,” Talty said. Given the uncertainty about state aid, “I’d take that right now,” Talty said.

The Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents “is advising us we may not see a budget until September,” Talty said.

Finance Board Chairman John A. “Jack” Henehan said the reduction was relative. “If something happens and we get word from the state that we’ve got to fund more things, it won’t make any difference if it’s $88,000 or $188,000,” because “we will have such a monumental task,” Henehan said.

“We can’t prepare for this much uncertainty,” Talty agreed. “We’ve done the best job we can to be prepared.”

FILE PHOTO Cromwell Town Hall