Hartford Public School officials say they are facing a $77.7 million deficit heading into the coming school year. Now, they are trying to come up with a strategy that'll allow them to balance the budget.
The deficit has been created by a variety of factors. They included inflation and the loss of a major COVID-19 relief fund program that is set to expire.
During a community forum Thursday, Hartford’s superintendent of schools explained the reality the district is facing.
“The need that our students have and the support that our educators need, that doesn’t go away. What shifts and changes is less funds that we have to do the work,” Dr. Leslie Torres-Rodriguez said.
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To operate as it has this year, the school district estimates it needs about $504 million, but projects only $426 million in revenue. Parents like Hector Ortiz are concerned.
“It’s our kids’ education,” Ortiz said. “They are our future. They are the ones who are going to take care of us.”
Nancy Mendez is the parent chair of the Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy School Governance Council. She is worried that the expiring elementary and secondary school emergency relief fund will create a need to eliminate resources that were made available coming out of the pandemic.
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“Not having that I think is really going to take us back,” Mendez said. “Because the supports that are there now are really what the kids need.”
The district, though, said no decision have been made and they are early in the budget process.
“There will be some hard decisions to make, but we are confident that we can come up with a strategy that satisfies our student’s needs, and to make sure they are prepared for the future,” Jesse Sugarman, executive director of marketing and communications for Hartford Public Schools.
As it evaluates possible cuts, the district said the priority is maintaining the integrity of student instruction and they are exploring various strategies to mitigate the situation.
“We could be flexible in terms of reallocating some of our staff members across our different schools without sacrificing instructional standards, our social and emotional supports or extracurricular programming,” Sugarman said.
The school district said it will also look at the central district offices as a possible place to cut, but said that is only a small percentage of the overall budget.
After community input is collected, Torres-Rodriguez said she expects to have a final budget ready for the Board of Education on April 16.
