Norwich — Campaign pledges last fall of needing “honest budgeting” came to the table during a remote access City Council budget workshop with school officials Tuesday in a review of the proposed 2.4% school budget increase, less than half the 5.5% increase the school board had requested.

For the past two years — and projected again at the end of June this year — the school budget has ended in deficit and required city surplus funds to cover the shortfall.

Democratic Council President Pro Tempore Mark Bettencourt pointed out that continuing deficit spending does not meet the campaign pledge of honest budgeting. He said the school board is obligated to meet the budget approved by the City Council, though he admitted he did not support past budgets the council had mandated.

Bettencourt said if the school board keeps coming back for deficit coverage, the city’s surplus fund would fall below 10%, risking the city’s strong bond rating and leaving the city less prepared for emergencies.

City Manager John Salomone proposed an $83 million school budget total, a 2.4% increase over this year’s $81.03 million budget. 

Superintendent Kristen Stringfellow told the City Council on Tuesday it would take an $88 million budget with a 9.11% increase to fully fund all current programs, add three reading teachers and several other proposed new positions. The school board March 23 unanimously approved a compromise $85.5 million proposed budget, with a $4.5 million, or 5.5%, increase.

Pre-COVID-19 estimates projected this year’s budget to end June 30 with a $1.1 million deficit. And Stringfellow said deficit spending would continue with the 5.5% increase and much more so with only a 2.4% increase.

Salomone’s proposal would give the school board a $1.96 million increase, most of which would be consumed by the $1.5 million increase in tuition and special education costs for Norwich Free Academy.

Stringfellow stressed that the school system is minimally staffed and could not function with significant teacher and staff cuts. She said the board has not yet voted on her proposed new positions, including a transportation coordinator and a special education assistant director. She said some of those proposals are designed to save money.

Stringfellow told the council her long-term goals are to eliminate the need to rely on the city surplus fund to cover deficits and to reduce and eliminate the reliance on so many grants to fund the operating budget. The 5.5% increase would have accomplished the first goal within three years, with budget increases of 5.5% in the second year and 4.5% in the third.

“It was our sincere hope to find a solution that would not be overburdensome on the taxpayers while providing the basic needs to the city schoolchildren,” Stringfellow said.

Stringfellow said Salomone’s proposed 2.4% increase “is a challenge for us” because other items in the budget are increasing at much higher rates than 2.4%, including salaries, benefits, health insurance costs, tuition and special education. She said there is no way to cut staff significantly, because the school system has minimal staffing and must meet state and federal staffing requirements.

Alderman Joseph DeLucia said based on Stringfellow’s projections, the school budget still would end in deficit with a 5.5% increase, and the city still would be obligated for the initially requested 9.11% increase by covering the deficit with the undesignated fund.

Bettencourt said the Board of Education has been abdicating its fiduciary responsibilities over the past few years and is legally obligated to live within the council’s approved budget total.

“There’s got to be some sort of compromise,” Bettencourt said.

c.bessette@theday.com