Norwich City School rolls out 2016-2017 budget
NORWICH – The Norwich City School District has a budget for the 2016-2017 academic year that district officials say maintains and even adds to programming while continuing the district’s high standards for instruction.
The $41.29 million spending plan calls for a 1.8 percent tax levy increase to foot the district’s programming and operational expenses for the coming year. That means the average taxpayer with a $50,000 home in the City of Norwich will pay a $28 increase in their tax bill while homeowners in the Town of Norwich will see an average increase of $32.50.
The proposed plan carries an increase in spending of nearly $882,000 over the 2015-2016 budget. According to Superintendent Gerard O’Sullivan, the budget adheres to the Norwich Board of Education’s two consistent goals of providing high quality instruction to all students, and monitoring a comprehensive fiscal plan.
“The Board has been working on that for the last 10 months,” said O’Sullivan. “It’s a balancing act between maintaining educational programming and making sure it’s something the community can maintain and support.”
Under the budget, Norwich is able to maintain class size, keep extra curricular and sports programming (and even add new programming), and strengthen teacher support and professional development opportunities.
This marks the first tax levy increase the Norwich City School District has requested since 2013. For the last two years, the district has kept the tax levy at 0 percent, despite increases in spending. Since 2012-2013, the district has borne an average budget-to-budget increase of 2.17 percent. At the same time, the average tax levy increase has been only 1.26 percent. The Board has been drawing from the district’s reserve accounts to make up the difference.
What’s more, the district is still working with a multi-million dollar loss in state funding incurred by the Gap Elimination Adjustment (GEA). Approximately 70 percent of the Norwich’s budget is funded through state aid.
The GEA was eliminated in the 2015-2016 state budget; however, O’Sullivan said it may be years before the district sees a return to its original levels of funding. Norwich anticipate a state aid increase this year of nearly $642,000.
“Over the course of the last several years, the difference between our growing expenses and the loss of state aid is about $7 million,” O’Sullivan said. “Just think about what we could have done with $7 million over the last seven years. It’s staggering when you think about all the opportunities that were lost.”
The district is further dealing with an increase in obligatory expenses. Special education services alone have increased substantially – nearly $300,000 (6.37 percent) in the last year. Meanwhile, mandatory teacher and employee retirement contributions have gone up $170,000. Health insurance premiums have increased by $425,000; and contractual costs for salaries went up $420,000.
“From those three items alone – our pension, our health, and our contract costs for employees – all of that comes to more than a $1 million in costs that we’ve incurred this year,” O’Sullivan said.
“Some of our mandated program costs, like benefits, are always there,” explained Deputy Superintendent Robert Wightman. “We are a people organization, so those increases are always in the budget.”
The Norwich Board voted unanimously to accept the district’s proposed spending plan. District residents will have a chance to weigh-in when it goes to vote on May 17.
The $41.29 million spending plan calls for a 1.8 percent tax levy increase to foot the district’s programming and operational expenses for the coming year. That means the average taxpayer with a $50,000 home in the City of Norwich will pay a $28 increase in their tax bill while homeowners in the Town of Norwich will see an average increase of $32.50.
The proposed plan carries an increase in spending of nearly $882,000 over the 2015-2016 budget. According to Superintendent Gerard O’Sullivan, the budget adheres to the Norwich Board of Education’s two consistent goals of providing high quality instruction to all students, and monitoring a comprehensive fiscal plan.
“The Board has been working on that for the last 10 months,” said O’Sullivan. “It’s a balancing act between maintaining educational programming and making sure it’s something the community can maintain and support.”
Under the budget, Norwich is able to maintain class size, keep extra curricular and sports programming (and even add new programming), and strengthen teacher support and professional development opportunities.
This marks the first tax levy increase the Norwich City School District has requested since 2013. For the last two years, the district has kept the tax levy at 0 percent, despite increases in spending. Since 2012-2013, the district has borne an average budget-to-budget increase of 2.17 percent. At the same time, the average tax levy increase has been only 1.26 percent. The Board has been drawing from the district’s reserve accounts to make up the difference.
What’s more, the district is still working with a multi-million dollar loss in state funding incurred by the Gap Elimination Adjustment (GEA). Approximately 70 percent of the Norwich’s budget is funded through state aid.
The GEA was eliminated in the 2015-2016 state budget; however, O’Sullivan said it may be years before the district sees a return to its original levels of funding. Norwich anticipate a state aid increase this year of nearly $642,000.
“Over the course of the last several years, the difference between our growing expenses and the loss of state aid is about $7 million,” O’Sullivan said. “Just think about what we could have done with $7 million over the last seven years. It’s staggering when you think about all the opportunities that were lost.”
The district is further dealing with an increase in obligatory expenses. Special education services alone have increased substantially – nearly $300,000 (6.37 percent) in the last year. Meanwhile, mandatory teacher and employee retirement contributions have gone up $170,000. Health insurance premiums have increased by $425,000; and contractual costs for salaries went up $420,000.
“From those three items alone – our pension, our health, and our contract costs for employees – all of that comes to more than a $1 million in costs that we’ve incurred this year,” O’Sullivan said.
“Some of our mandated program costs, like benefits, are always there,” explained Deputy Superintendent Robert Wightman. “We are a people organization, so those increases are always in the budget.”
The Norwich Board voted unanimously to accept the district’s proposed spending plan. District residents will have a chance to weigh-in when it goes to vote on May 17.
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