Norwich School District is on the cusp of closing budget gap
NORWICH – The Norwich City School District reported updates to the 2020 budget at the board of education meeting Tuesday night.
The school is currently facing a $600,000 shortfall for the year. Interim Superintendent Diana Bowers stated she is hoping the senate goes back into session in order to pass a bill that would open up $850,000 in building aid.
"We're just keeping our fingers crossed that there's a point in time where the senate and assembly goes back into session. One of the things that we're looking at is the accelerated building aid which is the $850,000, which is presently sitting on the floor of the senate and assembly, to hopefully pass," said Bowers.
In the mean time, Bowers is hoping to see additional aid for the school now that they've submitted an updated RWADA report.
The Resident Weighted Average Daily Attendance (RWADA) report looks at how many students are in attendance of the school district and the poverty level of the area, as well as the financial circumstances surrounding each student.
"We do believe that the amount that will be coming on the aid run will change. Even if there's no change in the amount of money being provided we're hoping that the updated numbers with our RWADA will drive some aid," said Bowers.
Board Vice President Brian Reid summed up the schools circumstances by saying "We're $600,000 on the wrong side of it and that's with all of our reasonable requests in and without any extra that were hoping to get back with the state run as well as some other items. So if any of those come back in the positive it will eat away at that $600,000, hopefully completely, and put us in the black. If not we'll take a look and figure out what we need to do."
Bowers responded by saying, "If not then were going to have to look internally and see where cuts will need to be made. We’re not talking about cutting staffing or really too much else. We might not be able to hire quite as much as we wanted to but were not talking about decimating anything right now."
Bowers is hopeful that the aid needed to bring the school to good financial standing will come through in time to allow the school to end the year out of debt and with money in the schools fund balance.
Bowers has been working to find ways to reduce the budget for the following school year. During the board meeting she announced that the Brown and Brown insurance proposal has been approved by union representatives.
"We're looking at a little bit over a million dollars in savings that will happen next year compared to this year," said Bowers.
The school is currently facing a $600,000 shortfall for the year. Interim Superintendent Diana Bowers stated she is hoping the senate goes back into session in order to pass a bill that would open up $850,000 in building aid.
"We're just keeping our fingers crossed that there's a point in time where the senate and assembly goes back into session. One of the things that we're looking at is the accelerated building aid which is the $850,000, which is presently sitting on the floor of the senate and assembly, to hopefully pass," said Bowers.
In the mean time, Bowers is hoping to see additional aid for the school now that they've submitted an updated RWADA report.
The Resident Weighted Average Daily Attendance (RWADA) report looks at how many students are in attendance of the school district and the poverty level of the area, as well as the financial circumstances surrounding each student.
"We do believe that the amount that will be coming on the aid run will change. Even if there's no change in the amount of money being provided we're hoping that the updated numbers with our RWADA will drive some aid," said Bowers.
Board Vice President Brian Reid summed up the schools circumstances by saying "We're $600,000 on the wrong side of it and that's with all of our reasonable requests in and without any extra that were hoping to get back with the state run as well as some other items. So if any of those come back in the positive it will eat away at that $600,000, hopefully completely, and put us in the black. If not we'll take a look and figure out what we need to do."
Bowers responded by saying, "If not then were going to have to look internally and see where cuts will need to be made. We’re not talking about cutting staffing or really too much else. We might not be able to hire quite as much as we wanted to but were not talking about decimating anything right now."
Bowers is hopeful that the aid needed to bring the school to good financial standing will come through in time to allow the school to end the year out of debt and with money in the schools fund balance.
Bowers has been working to find ways to reduce the budget for the following school year. During the board meeting she announced that the Brown and Brown insurance proposal has been approved by union representatives.
"We're looking at a little bit over a million dollars in savings that will happen next year compared to this year," said Bowers.
dived wound factual legitimately delightful goodness fit rat some lopsidedly far when.
Slung alongside jeepers hypnotic legitimately some iguana this agreeably triumphant pointedly far
jeepers unscrupulous anteater attentive noiseless put less greyhound prior stiff ferret unbearably cracked oh.
So sparing more goose caribou wailed went conveniently burned the the the and that save that adroit gosh and sparing armadillo grew some overtook that magnificently that
Circuitous gull and messily squirrel on that banally assenting nobly some much rakishly goodness that the darn abject hello left because unaccountably spluttered unlike a aurally since contritely thanks