The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
School leaders seek spending increase
WINSTED — School officials for two systems both will seek to increase education spending next year, as the superintendents of the Gilbert School and Winchester Public Schools are scheduled to present their proposed budgets for 202122 on Monday.
Winchester Superintendent of Schools Melony Brady-Shanley’s proposed budget for 2021-22 totals $20,558,504, reflecting a 2.99 percent increase over the approved budget of $19,961,686.
Drivers for the increased spending proposal include the Gilbert School’s tuition for the coming year, totaling $7.345 million, an increase of 4.1 percent. Brady-Shanley warned board members that some grant funding is ending, meaning the district will have to find other funding sources going forward.
Since 2016, Winchester schools have been part of a grant program from the Commissioner’s Network, which provides grants to low-performing schools “in exchange for heightened accountability,” according to the state.
“Our Commissioner’s Network grant is ending and it was worth $450,000,” Brady-Shanley said recently. “We also have about $116,000 in carryover grant funds that will be used up this year.”
For Gilbert, the 2021-22 proposal includes tuition at $7.345 million, and a capital improvement budget of $462,544, part of an overall $7.843 million spending plan for 2021-22. Capital improvements include a new roof for the auditorium, as well as heating units in the gym and cafeteria. Gilbert’s budget reflects a 2.11 percent increase over current levels, Superintendent Anthony Serio said.
During the Gilbert School Corp.’s most recent meeting, Serio told the board that he was concerned about endowed academies receiving less funding this year.
The amount is lower because, while the federal government has provided grants and other funding to school
districts to compensate for added costs, not every school is eligible for full funding. The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021, signed into law in December 2020, provided an additional $54.3 billion for the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER II Fund), according to the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education.
“The thing is, we are educating public school students,” Serio said at the time. “But we’re not considered Title 1, so we were left out of the ESSER II equation.”
How to attend
Monday’s hearing is being held at the Pearson School on Wetmore Avenue at 7 p.m., and will also be presented on Zoom by the Board of Selectmen. Those attending in person will be required to wear masks and distance themselves.
Residents are welcome to use the online option if they’re not comfortable attending in person.
“Please be advised that every effort is being made with the video and audio as the Livestream will be through the Zoom link on a computer laptop. Unlike the regular meetings held in the P. Francis Hicks room at Town Hall, there is no sound system to link to for the Zoom component,” according to a statement from Mayor Candy Perez.
Public comments can be given during the in-person meeting, and can also be emailed or called in.
To attend the meeting on Zoom, go to zoom.us/join, and enter the meeting code 894 3409 2476, and an ID of 982777. All residents attending the meeting on Zoom must provide their identity; be sure the correct name accompanies you when you log in. For example, each person’s Zoom name should not just reflect “Family iPad.”
After the superintendents’ presentations, public comments will be taken.
Remaining budget meetings include a town budget public hearing at 7 p.m. April 5, followed by the annual town meeting at 7 p.m. May 10. A budget referendum then will be scheduled at the end of May. Past referendums have been held on Saturdays, and a tentative date is May 29 from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
“The Board of Selectmen will hold additional meetings as needed to deliberate on the budget up to April 23,” Perez said. “There will be information coming from the State of Connecticut legislative decisions as well as from the American Rescue Act regulations that will need to be analyzed as well over the next few weeks. The Board of Selectmen will present a budget to the town that they feel will meet the needs of the community.”
All budgets may be viewed online; to obtain a copy, call 860-738-6962.