Ansonia School Superintendent Carol Merlone released a statement Thursday evening saying she still hopes to reach a compromise with city government ahead of date with a Superior Court judge next week.
“On Monday, the day before our case is heard in Superior Court in Derby, there will be meetings between the school district and the city, presided by a judge, in an attempt to settle this issue,” Merlone said.
“That is our hope; however, we will remain steadfast in our efforts to have this money restored in order to cover our bills for these final days of the school year.”
Background
In January, Mayor David Cassetti’s administration decided to withhold $600,000 from the school district.
City government did so because when the Board of Aldermen allocated money for the schools last spring, the state was in the middle of a budget crisis. It wasn’t known whether the state would release crucial school grant money — including the “alliance district” grants — to Ansonia schools.
The state grant money eventually arrived after the city created a budget. So, according to Mayor Cassetti, the city was within its right to take back $600,000.
The school district and the state education department said the city’s action violated rules regarding certain school grants. The city points to a law they say proves they are within their rights.
The school district eventually filed a lawsuit. The district is projected to run out of money which could impact teacher pay as the year draws to a close this month.
Court Date Looms
A “show cause” hearing is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Tuesday in Superior Court in Derby.
The city filed a motion Thursday demanding more information on school finances.
Click here for a previous story in the legal deadlines attached to the court case.
In her letter Thursday, Merlone said the school and the city officials met in April to resolve the dispute.
“At that meeting, the school district reported that its initial estimated year-end projection showed that $500,000 of the $600,000 taken from the budget was needed,” Merlone said.
“If the city restored the full funding of $600,000, the school district would take the appropriate measures to return the estimated balance of $100,000 after the end of the fiscal year on June 30, 2018. That offer still stands.”
But there are no signs at the moment indicating the dispute will be settled outside court.
Cassetti Responds
In a written response received late Thursday, Mayor Cassetti said Merlone has refused to negotiate on the matter or open the district’s financial records. Instead, the mayor said the school district has relied on sensational threats, such as a press release Tuesday saying schools could close in 24 hours due to a lack of funds.
“ … instead of being honest with the community, she has threatened to close the schools and not pay the teachers; none of which has happened or will happen,” Cassetti said.
Cassetti said the city wants to see financial records that support Merlone’s statements.
“The truth is that the Superintendent has refused to provide the City with information to support her claim that the school district will actually run out of money,” Cassetti said. “My administration has requested basic information, and just yesterday, the attorneys handling this litigation for the City also made similar requests. Instead of simply providing information to the City, the Superintendent is playing games and trying to hide the ball.”
Cassetti said the school district isn’t even returning calls from the city comptroller.
“I will always work with any department, including the Board of Education to resolve budget issues, but I will not do so without first receiving the detailed information that supports the need,” Cassetti said. “The solution to this issue is simple, but instead of being honest, the Superintendent continues to hide the truth and use our students and teachers as pawns in her game.”
The mayor’s full statement is at the bottom of this post.
Fractured Ansonia
In her letter, Merlone also acknowledged that a forum on the budget crisis led by the school district’s lawyer at Ansonia High School Tuesday may have had unintended consequences.
“The message may not have been clear, and the forum has now led to a fractured community,” she said. “This is not what the school district wants, and we highly doubt that the city wants this, either.”
In a separate letter posted on the school district’s website, the superintendent said she met with Ansonia High School seniors to talk about Tuesday’s forum, where students weren’t concerned with grant money and lawsuits — they just wanted to know if classes were canceled and whether they would be graduating.
Merlone said she told students she opted to stay quiet during Tuesday’s forum because of the pending court action.
Meanwhile, academic life and end-of-the-year traditions continue within Ansonia schools. The top 10 graduating seniors were honored at a banquet Wednesday night. Eighth grade students visited Ansonia High School, the place they’ll be in the fall.
“The community must always remember, I did not go looking for this fight; however, I will NEVER stop fighting for our kids and I will ALWAYS protect the rights of students,” Merlone said.
A vote on next year’s school budget (and the altered budget from last year) is scheduled in front of the Ansonia Board of Aldermen Monday evening — after the sides meet in a courthouse to try to resolve the funding dispute ahead of Tuesday’s “show cause” hearing.
The superintendent’s complete statement is posted below:
Ansonia Public Schools is disheartened that its attempt to amicably settle a financial dispute with the City has not taken place. In late April, representatives of the school district and the city met for several hours in an attempt to settle the issue. At that meeting, the school district reported that its initial estimated year-end projection showed that $500,000 of the $600,000 taken from the budget was needed. If the city restored the full funding of $600,000, the school district would take the appropriate measures to return the estimated balance of $100,000 after the end of the fiscal year on June 30, 2018.
That offer still stands. Earlier this week, when the Board of Education met to discuss the imminent insolvency of its budget due to the $600,000 cut, we held an informational session in an attempt to inform parents about its impact. The message may not have been clear, and the forum has now led to a fractured community. This is not what the school district wants, and we highly doubt that the city wants this, either.
As I wrote in a letter to parents and the Ansonia community today, there have been many attempts to settle this matter, including requesting a legal opinion from the Connecticut State Department of Education. The state has several letters, including two that the city’s actions was illegal.
On Monday, the day before our case is heard in Superior Court in Derby, there will be meetings between the school district and the city, presided by a judge, in an attempt to settle this issue. That is our hope; however, we will remain steadfast in our efforts to have this money restored in order to cover our bills for these final days of the school year. The community must always remember, I did not go looking for this fight; however, I will NEVER stop fighting for our kids and I will ALWAYS protect the rights of students.
Regards,
Carol Merlone
Mayor David Cassetti’s Response
As mayor of our City, I took an oath to always put the best interests of our community first and to be honest to my fellow residents. Unfortunately, that commitment to our community is not shared by the Superintendent or the Board of Education.
Instead of having an intellectually honest discussion with my administration, the Superintendent and her Board have chosen to bring this issue to the Courts at the taxpayers’ expense and sensationalize this matter by spreading misinformation throughout our community. While we are all entitled to our own opinions, we are not entitled to our own facts.
As we all know, the State of Connecticut created a problem for the cities and towns by failing to adopt a timely budget and by projecting substantial cuts to our community. In the face of this problem, my administration stepped up to assist the school district by adding $600,000 to offset the anticipated grant cuts from the State. After the State passed its budget, the school district received $1.8 million in state aid and also passed special legislation to allow communities to take a second look at their municipal budgets to account for the unanticipated state aid.
After my administration became aware of the amount of state aid sent to the school district, I felt that I had an obligation to the taxpayers of our city to revise our budget in accordance with the special legislation. Let me be clear … the city did not reduce the school district’s budget. On the contrary, the school district received more than $800,000 over that which was anticipated. The modified budget simply takes into account the substantial amount of state aid that was unanticipated.
The Superintendent knows that the City acted properly. Anyone can FOI her emails from March of 2018 to discover that fact. But instead of being honest with the community, she has threatened to close the schools and not pay the teachers; none of which has happened or will happen.
The truth is that the Superintendent has refused to provide the City with information to support her claim that the school district will actually run out of money. My administration has requested basic information, and just yesterday, the attorneys handling this litigation for the City also made similar requests. Instead of simply providing information to the City, the Superintendent is playing games and trying to hide the ball. Why do our lawyers need to go to court tomorrow to seek a court order to obtain public information? What is the Superintendent hiding?
The Superintendent claims that she has tried to resolve this matter. The City has made every effort to bring this matter to a reasonable conclusion. Just today, my comptroller made several attempts to communicate with the Board of Education, but his calls were not returned.
I will always work with any department, including the Board of Education to resolve budget issues, but I will not do so without first receiving the detailed information that supports the need.
The solution to this issue is simple, but instead of being honest, the Superintendent continues to hide the truth and use our students and teachers as pawns in her game.
