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Town Restores School Budget to Avoid State Fine

In response to the threat of being fined $136,000 by the state Department of Education (DOE), the Deep River Board of Selectmen called a special meeting on April 8 to approve the transfer of $68,000 from General Fund unappropriated fund balance to the Deep River Elementary School budget as designated by the Board of Selectmen, Board of Finance and the SDE.

The move was precipitated by a reduction to the school’s budget. Connecticut’s minimum budget requirements (MBR) means municipalities cannot reduce education funding to their school districts unless they receive a reduction in state education funding, show a declining school population, or have been able to realize savings in other ways.

According to First Selectman Angus McDonald, the Deep River Elementary School budget was reduced as a result of teachers retiring and not being replaced because the population didn’t warrant it. The town requested a waiver for the money, which McDonald said was denied.

“The state’s MBR for schools indicates we must put $68,000 back into the Deep River Elementary School budget for this Fiscal Year 2018-’19 or we could be fined double that,” said McDonald.

Deep River is re-applying for a waiver.

“The trouble is that we don’t know when the waiver request will be reviewed and we risk being fined if we don’t put the money back in Deep River Elementary School budget by June 30, 2019, so with all the budget meetings going on and things becoming very busy this time of year, we thought it best to vote to put the money back in the school budget to protect the town from being fined and then hopefully our waiver will be approved and we can keep the money in the town budget,” said McDonald.

He added, “The approval of the $68,000 at the April 8, meeting will allow the transfer of the amount, should we either reach that date or have our second request for waiver denied, whichever happens first.”