SEYMOUR – An $839,000 budget deficit that school officials said was due to a miscalculation of employee benefits last year is apparently shrinking.
That’s the word from Superintendent of Schools Susan Compton and Business Manager Salvatore A. Bucci. They said they’ve identified about $200,000 in unspent funds in the current budget to help reduce the deficit.
Compton and Bucci inherited the revenue shortfall. Neither were employed by the school system when the mistakes were made.
School officials said the budget approved by voters last spring contained outdated dollar amounts for health insurance and pension costs. The actual costs were more expensive than budgeted for, resulting in the $839,000 short fall.
During a virtual budget workshop Wednesday (Feb. 2), the Board of Education presented its $37.8 million budget proposal, which carries a 6.9 percent increase that takes the deficit into account, to the town’s Board of Finance.
Compton said an immediate spending freeze has been enacted, and she and Bucci are working to identify unspent funds and grant money in the current budget to erase the deficit. Some $200,000 – which Compton said could end up being closer to $300,000 – in the current operating budget has been identified so far.
“We are reviewing each account and the expenditures that we have and will incur to identify areas where we can make up the remaining overage,” Bucci said. “I am confident that we will resolve the current year financial issue by the close of this fiscal year.”
Without the deficit, Bucci said a 4.5 percent increase is necessary just to keep current services at status quo. Health insurance costs are increasing about 12 percent, and an arbitrated teachers’ contract accounts for 3 to 3.5 percent salary increases. Nearly 80 percent of the entire budget is teacher salaries ($23 million) and benefits ($7 million), Bucci said.
“A substantial portion of the teachers have been here 15 to 20 years, and that’s wonderful for the students, but terrible for the budget,” Bucci said. “The rest of the budget is flat. It promotes keeping the existing staff and complies with our contractual obligations.”
Board member Kristen Harmeling, who chairs the board’s finance committee said misinformation is spreading on social media about the board “overspending” on education.
Seymour residents have been commenting on Valley Indy stories about the school budget. A bunch are frustrated by the school district’s mistake and a few said Seymour schools are top heavy with high-paid administrators.
A screen shot from the Board of Finance meeting.
Harmeling said Seymour ranks 142nd out of 166 school districts statewide in per pupil spending. Derby, for example, while not in Seymour’s economic reference group, spends $18,554 per pupil, compared with $16,000 spent per pupil in Seymour, Harmeling said.
“It’s been a good number of years since we’ve had to discuss a sizable increase in our budget,” she said. “There is no fluff in our budget. We’re not a top-heavy organization. Please help support us in debunking these myths.”
Over the past five budget years, the school budget has received nominal increases from 1.2 percent in 2017 – 2018; 1 percent in 2018 – 19; 2.3 percent in 2019 – 20; 1.5 percent in 2020 – 21 and 2 percent in 2021 – 22.
Board member Jim Garofolo made a lengthy plea to to ensure Seymour’s kids are equipped for the future.
“We are the children’s future, no one else has the ability to provide them the resources and the things that they need to move into the future and be the best of Seymour for tomorrow,” Garofolo said. “Give them the resources that are required to move them into the 21st century.”
Board of Finance Chairman Bill Sawicki urged the board to take another look at its proposal, and come back with a number that takes into account retiring staff members. Compton said there are about five employees retiring this year, and three of those positions, if not replaced-amount to about $300,000.
“Our board will do the best and fairest job we can,” Sawicki said. “A lot of residents aren’t doing too well. I don’t disagree with the children being paramount. But we have to consider everyone, and a lot of residents are going through tough times. We have 20 other town departments to talk to about their budget requests. We realistically need to see the impact where all of this shakes out.”
Harmeling said the board scrutinized every line item prior to approving a budget, and deemed all the numbers to be necessary. However, she said the board will take another look, especially with retirees, and potentially locking into a lower bus contract, to see if the bottom line can be reduced.
Finance board member Rich Demko would like to see a lower figure.
“I understand the importance of education; I have two kids in the system and my wife is a teacher,” Demko said. “But I have to look at the burden for the taxpayers with you coming to us with a 6.9 percent increase without considering attrition.”
The finance board will meet throughout February with other departments to review their budget requests, and begin deliberations in March. Voters get the final say in approving both the town and school budgets at a referendum later this spring.
