Norwich — In what a state Department of Education official told Norwich Superintendent Abby Dolliver would be a “ground-breaking move,” the Board of Education will tell the City Council it simply cannot cut 3 percent from its proposed 2017-18 budget as ordered earlier this week and could just close school 20 days early next year if the council adopts that budget in June.

The Board of Education Budget Expenditure Committee reviewed draconian budget cuts outlined by Dolliver that included multiple teacher layoffs and class sizes approaching 40 students in some grades — in violation of the fire marshal's occupancy limits in some school classrooms — at even a 1 or 2 percent cut.

“That can't be the words that come out of our mouths,” board Chairman Aaron “Al” Daniels said after hearing the outline of what cuts of 1 percent, 2 percent and 3 percent would mean for the school district.

Seven of the nine school board members attended Wednesday's committee meeting to discuss how to handle the City Council's vote Monday that left the school budget at this year's $75 million level, a 3 percent cut from the city manager's recommended school budget spending level.

The Republican-controlled council wants to cut this year's combined city and school budget total by 5 percent, including the 3 percent cut from the school budget. Democratic Mayor Deberey Hinchey cast the lone dissenting vote Monday.

Republican Alderwoman Stacy Gould, who supported the cut Monday, attended Wednesday's school budget meeting, as she regularly has over the past year.

School board member Yvette Jacaruso argued vehemently that the deep cuts ordered by the council would not achieve the goal of cutting taxes to attract more people to Norwich. “You're not going to have families come into a city that has 30-plus kids in a classroom,” she said.

Gould said she understood the message from the school board that cuts of 2 and 3 percent were “unrealistic,” but she repeated the City Council's goal of cutting taxes that have climbed to unsustainable levels in the city.

The school board did agree to cuts totaling $580,974, a 0.7 percent decrease from the proposed budget. That list includes anticipating $300,000 from 11 possible teacher retirements, $125,000 in projected insurance cost cuts and $35,000 to replace the middle school resource police officer with a private security guard.

But Daniels and board member Robert Aldi both bristled at cutting teaching positions and raising class sizes for the second time in three years. At a 1 percent cut, Dolliver proposed cutting six teachers from the Teachers' Memorial Sixth Grade Academy, bringing class sizes to 28 to 30 students.

Cutting 2 percent would have meant consolidating all grade levels with three classes into two classes, with several elementary school teacher cuts. Class sizes in the lower grades could rise to 38 students or higher in some cases, Dolliver said.

Uncas School Principal Peter Camp said he already has more than 60 students registered for kindergarten next year, with the bulk of new kindergarten registrations expected to come over the summer. He said the city fire marshal already has warned him that some classrooms cannot accommodate more than about 25 students.

Dolliver said she couldn't even calculate a 3 percent cut, which amounts to 20 operational school days. She discussed the situation with a state Department of Education official earlier Wednesday and raised the possibility of closing school early when the money runs out — well short of the 180-day minimum.

Dolliver was told that would be “groundbreaking” action and was referred to the department's attorney, who was not available Wednesday, Dolliver told the board.

The City Council will hold a budget hearing at 7:30 p.m. Monday at City Hall. On Thursday, school administrators will try their first Facebook Live broadcast discussion with followers on the budget predicament. The session will run from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. and will be broadcast from Kelly Middle School.

c.bessette@theday.com