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Superintendent updates board: mayor proposes $12M of $34M ask; alliance grant rises to $9.1M, audits drive caution
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Casimiro told the board the mayor proposed $12 million toward the district's $34 million funding request and that alliance grant funding increased to $9.1 million after formula changes; the presentation also covered audit catch-up, use of ARPA and one-time funds and planning for sustainability.
Superintendent Dr. Casimiro updated the Danbury Board of Education on the district's budget picture, recent audits and state funding changes, telling the board the mayor proposed a $12 million increase toward the district's $34 million ask and that the district will continue to pursue additional sustainable revenue.
She said the mayor also proposed continued use of about $4 million in ARPA funds next year. The superintendent described the district's ability to retain a portion of surpluses under a 2% account change as a tool to help close near-term budget gaps; she said those 2% reserves could amount to around $2.4'$3.0 million depending on final accounting.
Dr. Casimiro described progress on state funding: the Alliance Grant portion of ECS (Education Cost Sharing) funding for Danbury has increased to about $9.1 million from an earlier figure the district cited of $5.7 million after advocacy and a change in the formula to better account for multilingual learners and other high-need students. She said those alliance funds are sustainable (recurring) as long as the grant remains in place, but that many restrictions and program constraints attach to how alliance dollars may be used.
On audits, she said the district has been accelerating overdue audits for fiscal years dating to 2021 and that work to reconcile accounts is ongoing; the audit work revealed prior structural issues the administration is addressing. She warned that while one-time funds (ARPA, surplus withholding) can help close the immediate gap, the district must pursue sustainable revenue for future years and plan for contractual increases.
Board members discussed next steps. The superintendent reminded the board there will be a public hearing with the city council at City Hall at 7 p.m. the following evening, and called for continued advocacy and community attendance. Other remarks at the meeting urged the district to move beyond "survival mode" toward stability and to protect staffing levels as a retention priority.
Separately, the superintendent told the board negotiators reached a tentative agreement with the paraeducators on Monday and that ratification will be brought forward to the board when the ratification date is scheduled.
