New Britain educators seek budget increase School board president warns: ‘We’re at our last dollars’
New Britain educators are pressing parents to begin lobbying the common council for a budget increase, warning that another year of flat funding will force program cutbacks, smaller staffing and possibly even the shutdown of a school.
Too many consecutive years without additional funding has put the schools in a spot where they need $5 million more just to provide the same service as this year, board President Nicole Rodriguez told a group of parents Wednesday night.
Rodriguez said she asked Superintendent Nancy Sarra this fall whether the system could get by one more time without new money.
“Every year we make things work and figure out now to stretch money when there’s no more money coming in,” Rodriguez said. “So I asked ‘Are we at our last dollars now?’ And she said yes, we’re at our last dollars.”
Board Vice President Nick Mercier emphasized that educators aren’t looking to add staff or new classes, just to cover contractual increases.
“This is status quo — it’s not including major initiatives, not hiring 50 new teachers. We’re talking about maintaining the services we have. We realize the city is in tight financial straits, but even when were doing an ‘as is’ budget you see this 3 percent increase.”
Mayor Erin Stewart has warned that another difficult budget year is ahead, however, and there’s little chance of any infusion of revenue. The grand list increased only enough to raise an additional $1.5 million next year, and city leaders will want to target much of that to municipal expenses such as police, fire, parks and public works. The city also is trying to reduce its long-term debt.
But the schools are complaining that they’ve gone with no-increase budgets in most of the past six years, while city government departments are at least getting cost-of-living increases.
Gov. Ned Lamont’s proposed budget would provide about $3.6 million more in state aid, but it’s far too early to tell whether the General Assembly will accept that. Sarra said New Britain residents should press the city to pay more for educating youngsters.
“Tell your friends ‘you come, you be the voice,’ ” said Sarra, who argued that local families should push the council to give the school the same cost-of-living budget increases that have gone to city agencies over the last several years.
“I need you to come to a common council meeting. This is the time to say ‘We’re done, you have to fund education.’ It’s not too late now,” she said.
Mercier said it’s frustrating to get no increase year after year.
“We’ve tried asking every which way. We’ve tried asking for the moon, we’ve tried saying this is what we really need and this bare bones - and we still get less than bare bones,” he said.
Administrators have considered reducing music, art and other electives at the high school, eliminating buses for students who live closest to their schools, or even closing the HALS Academy. Mercier said he had doubts about HALS when he first ran for the board eight years ago, but now wants it to stay.
“I’ve changed my opinion on that — it’s an amazing program and I will fight tooth and nail for it,” Mercier said.
“That’s why we’re advocating for more funding and hope that parents will, too. We don’t want to be in the position of having to close a school, having to eliminate a program or make sports pay for play,” Mercier said. “But we are tasked unfortunately with balancing the budget at the end of the day.”
The 10,000-student school system operates on $125.7 million this year, and is asking for $130.7 million, a 5 percent increase.
Stewart this spring will propose a budget. The council could vote to increase or reduce it, but Stewart has veto power. To override her, the council would need at least 10 votes, In the past year, its decisions have mostly broken along party lines between the nine-member Democratic caucus and the six-member Republican caucus.