Groton — The Groton Town Council voted Monday to cut $5.2 million or 6.7 percent from the Board of Education’s budget request for the fiscal year that starts July 1.

The council’s vote would provide $72.5 million in education funding for the coming fiscal year, rather than the $77.7 million the board requested. Groton anticipates a $5 million cut in education funding from the state, though the loss could be greater, councilors said.

Superintendent Michael Graner said the district would have to close one of its seven elementary schools to save $1.5 million, but he did not know how it would come up with the remaining money. There would also be layoffs, which he estimated roughly at 35 to 40 teachers, three or four administrators, five secretaries, five or six custodians and 40 paraprofessionals, he said. It was unclear whether the 35-40 teacher layoffs would be in addition to the teachers who now work at the school proposed for closure.   

Graner told councilors that he rejects the idea that the school board is responsible for the children and the Town Council is responsible for the adults.

“That’s a false distinction,” he said. “We have, you have, a civic responsibility to educate these children, you have an economic responsibility to prepare these children for the 21st century. This is the foundation of our community,” he said.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy cut education funding, promised no new taxes, and left the municipalities to suffer the consequences, Graner said.

“I resent that the rules are being laid out by somebody else and then we’re going to salute smartly,” he said.

The model of children learning in rows of seats and preparing for repetitive factory jobs doesn’t work, he said.

But councilors said residents can’t afford a double-digit tax rate increase. Town Manager Mark Oefinger’s proposed budget of $125.1 million would require a 15.4 percent increase in the tax rate, or $334 for every $100,000 of assessed value.

“Everybody’s going to get hurt. ... It’s not just going to be the schools,” Councilor Diane Barber said. When the economy soured in 2008, Barber said she took a 10 percent pay cut at work, but she was grateful she wasn’t laid off.

“I think maybe it’s time that you go to the teachers' union, unions and ask for concessions,” she said.

“As it is there are a lot of people who are already moving down (to) Florida and South Carolina and so forth,” said Councilor Rich Moravsik. “And I think if we start losing our residents because the taxes are so high, everything will start to crumble.”

But Mayor Bruce Flax said the value of an education is equally important to the tax rate. He said he wouldn’t support a cut that would lay off the district’s paraprofessionals, for example. Flax said he was disappointed by the council's vote.

Councilors approved the cut 5-3, with Councilors Barber, Moravsik, Bonnie Nault, Karen Morton and Greg Grim voting in favor. Flax and Councilors Harry Watson and Dean Antipas voted against the cut. Councilor Deborah Peruzzotti was absent for the vote. Graner and the school board are expected to return to the council at a later date and discuss what the cuts mean. The council could then reconsider.

Kathleen Neugent, chairwoman of the education committee for Representative Town Meeting, said she would not support that deep a cut to education.

Antipas said he felt as if he had a devil on each shoulder, one telling him not to raise taxes, and the other telling him not to cut education. He knows people can’t afford a large tax increase, he said. But if the schools get a bad reputation, it takes a generation to fix, he said.

“That’s what I’m struggling with here,” he said.

d.straszheim@theday.com