Erardi, Board of Education 'Frustrated' by Cuts to Proposed Budget

In his own words, Southington School Superintendent Joseph V. Erardi Jr. and the Board of Education is now “0 for 6” in their efforts to get finance members to support the full education proposed budget since Erardi first took over as the lead administrator in 2007.

It’s been a source of frustration for Erardi, who said Wednesday after the Board of Finance voted unanimously to reduce the proposed education budget by $1.1 million that in his tenure, he has never submitted a budget where the board could not explain and back the need for every dollar requested.

“I stand here unhappy, and maybe that means this board has made a good decision,” Erardi told members of the finance board Wednesday. “I am disappointed that I’ve yet to sort out the equation of a puzzle on what it’s going to take for the Board of Finance to endorse a proposed (Board of Education) budget.”

The Board of Finance approved their recommendation to the town council Wednesday, sending a request for adjusted budget figures of $45.1 million in general government spending and $84.23 million in education spending. The $129.33 total will, after changes in revenue figures, represent a proposal that would reduce the town’s mill rate by 0.02 mills in the upcoming fiscal year.

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At workshops last week, members of the finance board had reached a consensus after members initially proposed cuts to the requested increase of $2.89 million ranging from $800,000 to as high as $2 million.

“It was unanimous among the board that we wanted to make cuts to the Board of Education budget, the question was by how much,” said finance member Wayne Stanforth. “The good news here is that it brings the mill rate to a zero increase and the town funds are in a strong position moving forward.”

But with the Board of Education already cutting the school administrations proposal by more than $1 million earlier this year, Erardi and Board of Education Chairman Brian Goralski said the latest move would put some of the efforts to improve and establish programs that would move the district forward in jeopardy.

The school district has looked at establishing new programs including all-day kindergarten as a means of providing additional instruction time to assist the town in meeting goals established under the state’s Common Core State Standards initiative. In addition, the district is also working to enhance technology as it seeks to help students prepare for life beyond school in Southington.

Erardi said he believes that, as shown at a public hearing in February, the town was strongly in support of fully funding the Board of Education proposal.

“On my tally sheet, there was overwhelming and extraordinary support to support the school board budget in full,” he told the Board of Finance. “In regard to the workshops, I was impressed with the sense of consensus and applaud all of you, but I’ve wondered how each reached the conclusion and would be fascinated to know individually where each of you landed and why.”

Although there was plenty of public support at the public hearing, finance member Anthony Casale said he and other board members received numerous emails and communications from a different side of the community that needed assurance taxes wouldn’t go up yet again.

Casale also noted that the finance board does not dictate any proposed program cuts and the reductions in Board of Education were not based on the all-day kindergarten proposal, but rather on a wide variety of factors.

“You don’t have to be at the hearing to weigh in,” Casale said. “I got, we all got a lot of responses coming from the other side. We need to weigh all these together in making a final decision.”

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