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Proposed State Cuts Duly Noted by Branford Schools

With an eye toward proposed state reductions, Branford's Board of Education (BOE) will send a "contingency" transmittal letter to the town's Board of Finance (BOF), outlining a worst case scenario that could burden the Town of Branford with as much an additional $3.2 million in school-based state reductions next year. However, as the education officials emphasized, all signs point to Branford avoiding at least $2.7 million of the proposed state reductions.

The BOE voted to send the transmittal letter to the BOF as part of the package that includes a proposed $55.3 million 2017-18 school budget, approved by a unanimous BOE vote on Feb. 22. The potential $3.2 million in additional state cuts is not included in the proposed budget amount.

In December, 2016, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy proposed sweeping cuts to municipal and school funding to towns including Branford. Now, the Governor has also proposed asking some towns, including Branford, to foot the bill for one-third of the annual contribution to the municipal teachers' pension fund. That alone could add up to $2,747,784 in costs to the town.  Branford is one of 138 towns out of 169 in the state that would be asked to contribute.

While expectation of the BOE is that state legislators will not get through the vetting process this year in order to bring about the proposed pension funding increase (also known as the Teachers' Retirement Benefit, or TRB), BOE chairman Michael Krause said he felt there is a better chance other proposed cuts to state education funding and grants could come home to roost next year.

The BOE's transmittal letter includes the assumption that Branford may have to pay some or all of those costs, which top $508,000 when combing cuts to special education (consolidation of excess cost grant), and reduced Educational Cost Sharing (ECS) grant dollars.

As a precaution, on Feb. 22, the BOE voted to approve sending what Krause termed a "contingency" transmittal letter to the BOF outlining the potential need for an additional $3,255,673; should all of the governor's proposed reductions come to pass in 2017-18.

That would add another six percent increase to the BOE's proposed $55.3 million school budget next year. As it stands now, the $55.3 million budget represents an annual spending increase of just 1.96 percent.

"If the Governor got everything they wanted; and the Town of Branford had to fund the entire reduction, the Board of Education would be requesting a 7.96 percent increase tonight; just to be able to keep our programs where they're at.  That would be almost unheard of," said Krause on Feb. 22.  "So we have some tough times ahead of ourselves. I'm pretty confident that we're going to have to deal with something with the funding with the ECS; I think the state's going to get something from the town on that. I'd be surprised on the TRB; but we'll see what happens."

Krause also noted the Town of Branford puts fiscal responsibility at the forefront and that BOE has a good working relationship with the town and its administration.

Despite a volatile state funding climate in the past year, efforts by Branford First Selectman James B. Cosgrove, working with leadership from Town Finance Director Jim Finch and with the BOF and Representative Town Meeting (RTM), have kept Branford in good position to weather state cuts.

Last year, just ahead of the RTM final vote to approve the town's 2016-17 budget, Cosgrove and Finch recognized the potential for the state to dial back aid anytime in the next two years. They sought and received approval for a last-minute town expenditure cut of just over $292,000 from the budget's bottom line. Next, in setting the new mill rate, the BOF voted to incorporate a slight increase in revenue from tax dollars, to help further offset anticipated state cuts. The BOF approved an annual tax increase of just under two percent, setting Branford's new mill rate at 27.41 for the 2016-17 fiscal year.

To begin the 2017-18 Branford school budget planning process earlier this year, Krause and Superintendent of Schools Hamlet Hernandez first sat down with Cosgrove and Finch to discuss the current fiscal climate, needs and cuts facing Branford, said Krause.

"For this particular budget, based on the meeting that we had [and] anticipating what also may happen with state of Connecticut with their funding, I felt we needed to get our budget down to as close to two [percent annual increase] as possible, or a bit lower, without hurting any of our programs, especially our class sizes," said Krause, speaking during a meeting of the full BOE on Feb. 22. "The superintendent came in with a 1.96 percent [increase] and I think, overall, the board feels this budget is very lean."

See the story on the BOE's approved proposed 2017-18 budget here