Norwich – Speakers in favor of adding money to the school budget and those who asked the City Council to cut spending all received applause at Monday’s second budget hearing on the proposed $121.38 million school and city government budget.

Last week, the City Council approved Mayor Deberey Hinchey’s proposal to add nearly $1.7 million to the school budget, bringing the total to $74 million instead of the 1 percent increase acting City Manager John Bilda had recommended at $72.3 million. If approved by the council in June, the budget would mean a citywide tax rate of 41.5 mills, a 2.31-mill increase, not including fire district taxes.

School budget supporters – including several students -- outnumbered those who asked for more budget cuts Monday.

Some school budget supporters asked that the council consider approving the Board of Education’s requested budget of $75.8 million needed to keep current programs. School officials have proposed restructuring the city’s two middle schools – turning Kelly Middle School into a seventh- and eighth-grade school, and Teachers’ Memorial Middle School into a sixth-grade school.

Resident and parent Malia Sieve said class sizes in the elementary school classes are already too high because of past year budget cuts. Sieve commended Superintendent Abby Dolliver for obtaining grants to supplement the city budget as much as possible, but said the council’s budget decisions will affect “the lives of my children and my friends’ children.”

Resident Jerry Browning, a member of the Norwich Education Foundation, said Connecticut spends more than twice the amount per person on prisoners than it does on students.

“By denying an education, you are creating a den of thieves and miscreants,” Browning said.

But resident Jennifer Kayser said taxpayers in Norwich cannot afford “these types of increases” in property taxes. Kayser asked the council to revert to Bilda’s proposed city and school budget total of $119.7 million, calling it a “fair budget."

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