Norwich super strives to keep budget at zero increase
NORWICH – Norwich’s top administrators are shooting to have a tentative budget approved by the school district’s board of education in less than two weeks.
“I believe we’ll hit our target and adopt the budget on April 4,” said Superintendent Gerard O’Sullivan.
That leaves just one more budget session for the board to continue its review of the draft spending plan. Since mid-February, the district’s governing body has been reviewing the document one chunk at a time. The process began on Feb. 14, when O’Sullivan and Deputy Superintendent Rob Wightman presented the revenue side of the budget. On March 14, they concentrated on the administrative, board of education, transportation and BOCES portions of the spending plan. The conversation will continue Monday as the board examines the final portion of the document.
“The next budget review with the board will focus on the educational components of the budget,” reported Wightman. This includes the supervision, instructional, special education, technology, library media, co-curricular and inter-scholastic sections.
“That will leave the April 4th meeting for budget wrap up, further discussion and follow up on any outstanding items,” he said, after which the board will make its decision about adopting the spending plan. The final decision will, of course, be up to the voters, who will head to the polls on May 17.
Last week, O’Sullivan said the objective of the budget development process this year, as in the past, is to gain “community support of a budget that maintains core instructional integrity and is fiscally responsible.”
The superintendent said his goal was to keep the budget flat, with no spending increase. Doing so is no small task, however.
“Keeping a ‘normal’ 3 percent trending budget to zero percent is quite a challenge,” said Wightman, explaining that doing so means identifying “any and all opportunities for greater savings ... and efficiencies,” including cuts.
“I believe that with the cuts already outlined as well as taking retirements from staff and not filling positions, we’ve come close to hitting our target,” O’Sullivan reported.
But what are those cuts? Preliminary numbers predicted a $2.8 million gap between revenues and expenses, but only a handful of reductions have been revealed so far. Last week’s presentation showed a .6 percent reduction in the board of education, administration and operations and maintenance portion of the budget; and 2.2 percent reduction in transportation and debt service expenses. BOCES expenditures, however, were projected to increase by 2.1 percent.
Instructional staffing, extracurricular activities and athletics have yet to be discussed. As Wightman said, those areas as well as the other education components of the budget will be discussed at the next budget meeting, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Monday at the Norwich City School District Office, 89 Midland Drive in Norwich.
“I believe we’ll hit our target and adopt the budget on April 4,” said Superintendent Gerard O’Sullivan.
That leaves just one more budget session for the board to continue its review of the draft spending plan. Since mid-February, the district’s governing body has been reviewing the document one chunk at a time. The process began on Feb. 14, when O’Sullivan and Deputy Superintendent Rob Wightman presented the revenue side of the budget. On March 14, they concentrated on the administrative, board of education, transportation and BOCES portions of the spending plan. The conversation will continue Monday as the board examines the final portion of the document.
“The next budget review with the board will focus on the educational components of the budget,” reported Wightman. This includes the supervision, instructional, special education, technology, library media, co-curricular and inter-scholastic sections.
“That will leave the April 4th meeting for budget wrap up, further discussion and follow up on any outstanding items,” he said, after which the board will make its decision about adopting the spending plan. The final decision will, of course, be up to the voters, who will head to the polls on May 17.
Last week, O’Sullivan said the objective of the budget development process this year, as in the past, is to gain “community support of a budget that maintains core instructional integrity and is fiscally responsible.”
The superintendent said his goal was to keep the budget flat, with no spending increase. Doing so is no small task, however.
“Keeping a ‘normal’ 3 percent trending budget to zero percent is quite a challenge,” said Wightman, explaining that doing so means identifying “any and all opportunities for greater savings ... and efficiencies,” including cuts.
“I believe that with the cuts already outlined as well as taking retirements from staff and not filling positions, we’ve come close to hitting our target,” O’Sullivan reported.
But what are those cuts? Preliminary numbers predicted a $2.8 million gap between revenues and expenses, but only a handful of reductions have been revealed so far. Last week’s presentation showed a .6 percent reduction in the board of education, administration and operations and maintenance portion of the budget; and 2.2 percent reduction in transportation and debt service expenses. BOCES expenditures, however, were projected to increase by 2.1 percent.
Instructional staffing, extracurricular activities and athletics have yet to be discussed. As Wightman said, those areas as well as the other education components of the budget will be discussed at the next budget meeting, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Monday at the Norwich City School District Office, 89 Midland Drive in Norwich.
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