At the annual City Council budget hearing, members of the city community expressed support for increasing funding for New Britain’s schools and advocated for a good quality of education for the city’s children.
The hearing was on the Mayor’s Proposed Budget for the budget year that goes from this July 1st to June 30, 2027.
While the hearing was on the entire city budget, speaker after speaker spoke about concerns about the effects on education in the city’s schools without a significant increase in funds.
The Council Chamber room was so full that it was standing room-only – with some young people sitting on the floor.
The Consolidated School District of New Britain has proposed that the City increase its operating budget allocation to the school system by $18,971,610 to $146,971,610..
Former Mayor Erin Stewart (R) has been criticized for years of low operating budgets for New Britain schools. Under former Stewart, from FY14 to FY26, the permanent operating baseline increased at an average of approximately $400,000, or 0.34% per year. With inflation taken into account, as of the approval of the current year’s budget a year ago, Stewart’s budgets were a nearly $30 million cut over her years as mayor.
New Britain’s new Mayor Bobby Sanchez (D) proposed a $1 million increase to the permanent operating budget of the school system, which represents a 0.78% increase, more than double the average annual percentage increase over the previous twelve years of the Stewart administration.
But Sanchez’s budget does not include the controversial “non-operating” budget line that critics have said allowed former Mayor Stewart to cynically claim each year new funding for education without increasing the baseline amount of money that the city is required under state law to allocate to its schools. Not including that “non-operating” funding, the New Britain Racial Justice Coalition said means that, “Total education funding drops by approximately $1.6 million (-1.24%).”
But people at the packed budget hearing were expressing concerns over the effects of the school system not being about to maintain its current educational services in the wake of rising costs – and were advocating for a solution allowing for increasing funding.
Meanwhile, there appeared to be good news coming from the State Capitol, as Gov Ned Lamont (D) and state legislators announced a deal increasing state aid for schools by $170 million, according to the CT Mirror.
Sen Rick Lopes (D-6), Rep Manny Sanchez (D-24), Rep David DeFronzo (D-26), Rep Iris Sanchez (D-25) and Rep Gary Turco (D-27) joined with Mayor Bobby Sanchez (D) in a statement last week that said, “the New Britain delegation has delivered millions of dollars in additional education funding for our city, and this year is no different. … the delegation and Mayor are actively working with state leaders to secure millions more in education support for New Britain.”
