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The school district's FY24 budget request.
The Board of Education voted unanimously to approve a proposed $207 million schools budget request for next fiscal year, teeing up that financial plan — which is more than $3 million above what the mayor has proposed sending the district’s way — for review by the Board of Alders.
The school board took that vote during a special online meeting Wednesday night. The proposed Fiscal Year 2023 – 24 (FY) schools budget marks an $11 million increase, or 6 percent, above the current year’s.
Wednesday’s vote came a little more than a week after New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) Chief Financial Officer Linda Hannans first presented the budget to the Board of Education. It also comes several weeks after Mayor Justin Elicker unveiled his proposed FY24 budget for the city as a whole, which, if approved by the full Board of Alders, would send a total of $203,263,784 to the public school district for the fiscal year starting July 1.
Click here to read a previous Independent article about the school district’s proposed $207 million budget, which district leaders plan to present on to the Board of Alders Finance Committee later this month.
School members had little discussion Wednesday night before taking the vote, besides talking about a proposed item that was not included in the 2023 – 24 budget request. In the budget presentation Hannans listed various proposed items not included in the budget. Those not-budgeted wish list items totaled an extra $9 million.
One such non-budgeted wish list item was funding for a new deputy purchasing agent. Board of Education member Darnell Goldson questioned why the district wants a deputy purchasing agent without any purchasing agents on the payroll. “How will we have a deputy if we don’t have a purchasing agent?” he asked.
Hannans said on Wednesday that the district has long had a vacancy for its deputy purchasing agent that in the past worked in conjunction with the city’s purchasing agent.
“So what’s happening now with all the policies that we’re updating and correcting and the additional work that is going to be involved, we’re recommending that we have someone dedicated here to the Board of Education,” Hannans said.
The deputy purchasing agent would work on the school board’s agreements and would report to Hannans.
“It should be clear in the job description and any other textual evidence around it that the person is housed by us, paid by us” Board secretary Ed Joyner said.
“We know it’s a big lift for the city to increase the funds this much,” Board of Education Vice President Matt Wilcox said, “but the needs are there and there’s plenty of need beyond that, which is something the state’s going to have to take care of because these are all citizens of the state as well. We’re one of the richest states in the country with a multibillion dollar budget surplus, and it’s time to invest in equitable funding for schools.”
Watch the full meeting above.
