New London — The legislature’s passage of a state budget has helped to close a funding gap in the city's 2019-20 school budget — but not completely.

The Board of Education convened at a special meeting Monday night in part to start a conversation about where to make up an estimated $1.6 million budget shortfall. The board plans to continue discussions while it awaits word on various grants and possible boosts in state funding.

It does not expect to finalize the budget until at least July.

It was back in March that the school board approved a $72.4 million budget as proposed by Superintendent Cynthia Ritchie. It would have been a 3.1 percent increase in spending over the current $70.2 million spending plan.

The City Council, under the recommendation of Mayor Michael Passero, scaled back the school’s request to the city by $3 million, from $46.6 million to $43.6 million.

The legislature has since passed a budget that includes $1.1 million in Alliance District grant funds, money directed by the state to low-performing schools to close gaps in student achievement. A budgeting error that added an extra $300,000 for copier leases into the school budget has since been removed.

“We’re certainly in much better shape than we were,” school Finance Director Rob Funk told the board.

But there is still $1.6 million to make up and Funk outlined some possible revenue sources.

The Alliance District grant could get a $157,000 boost. The school district has applied for a state-funded Smart Start grant for early childhood programs that could provide $225,000. The state Department of Education has accepted applications from New London High School and Bennie Dover Jackson Middle School as candidates for the Commissioner’s Network, which could provide $100,000 or more in the first year and hundreds of thousands if the district is accepted into the network.

Funk said there also is a potential 2 percent boost in magnet school funding passed in the state budget that would increase the per student contributions from the state, currently at $3,000 per in-district student and $7,085 for out-of-district students.

“It’s not something I feel we can bank on but it’s certainly good news,” Funk said.

There are possible cuts, however, to the $850,000 state contribution toward magnet school transportation, Funk said.

The board appears to have agreed to take a measured approach to planning for budget reductions.

Board member Jason Catala said he was frustrated by the inaction.

“We need to cut $1.6 million. That’s the bottom line,” Catala said. “I have some cuts I want to propose.”

Rebecca Amanti said the City Council has a flawed philosophy and has used expected state grant funding as a tool to cut the school board’s funding requests. The grants, she said, are supposed to help fill gaps and not fund the school district’s operating budget.

“The city has a responsibility to fund an education budget,” Amanti said.

The board also planned to discuss next steps in the wake of a middle school scandal and address possible changes or additions to its bylaws.

g.smith@theday.com