Modified New London school budget with $6.5M hike goes to vote
New London — The Board of Education on Monday is scheduled to discuss and possibly approve a 2025-26 $54.7 million school budget that, even with more than a half-million dollars in recent reductions, still calls for a $6.5 million, or 13.7%, increase from the current spending plan.
The latest proposal, which Mayor Michael Passero has vowed to cut so there is no increase, is the result of a series of reductions this month that eliminates an administrator — no final decision has been made on which position will be cut — two teachers and an attendance motivator job.
The board also approved trimming home tutoring, substitute custodial work and after-school programming for a total reduction of $548,162. The cuts were made to Superintendent Cynthia Ritchie's initial 'same services' budget that included the costs for all current staffing and programs based on contractual increases and inflation and carried a $7.8 million increase.
Ritchie's total proposed budget comes to $87.1 million after $32.3 million in various state and federal grants are included. The $54.7 million taxpayer portion of the bill includes $22.9 million in state Education Cost Sharing (ECS) funding and $1.6 million from the district's non-lapsing account.
The major reasons for the increase include an additional $2.3 million in employee raises; $709,000 more in health insurance costs; just over $1 million more in tuition for special education students; $44,000 in increased unemployment costs; and nearly $95,000 more in liability insurance due to construction at the Bennie Dover Jackson Multi-Magnet Middle School Campus.
Another $2.3 million is allotted for the preschool operations at the Early Childhood Center at B.P. Mission. District officials are hoping state lawmakers will step in and help fund operations at the Shaw Street facility as they did last year.
Ritchie, echoing board President Elaine Maynard-Adams, is referring to the spending plan as a 'community budget,' or one that funds programming beyond the classroom walls.
'For instance, we have 302 homeless students, the highest number we've ever had,' she said. 'The district is responsible for conducting home visits, food and transportation. And the state has cut our transportation funding for those students by half.'
Passero said deep proposed cuts to New London's pool of state aid — more than $2 million — under Gov. Ned Lamont's biennial spending plan means he'll recommend not increasing school funding above the current year's $48.1 million figure.
'Since ECS funding is not increasing, the actual percentage increase to taxpayers that's being proposed is double the 13.7% they're announcing,' Passero said. 'We're already in a hole and will be making cuts the general government budget. I will be sending a letter to the district earlier than usual informing them we don't have the money for an increase.'
Ritchie called a flat-funded budget a 'devastating' prospect, especially as past budgets have not been enough to keep up with inflation and contractual wage increases.
'The average asks for other school districts in the state is between 6.5 and 8.5% increase, so we're not alone here in New London,' she said. 'But we have the added challenge of not being a wealthy city.
The board will meet at 6 p.m. Monday at the district's Welcome Center, 3 Shaws Cove.
j.penney@theday.com
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