Resident urges city leaders to correct record on Board of Education deficit, blames underfunding not overspending

Shelby Ponds, speaking during public participation as a representative of a school council, urged the City Council and Board of Finance to correct what she described as misinformation circulating in town blaming Democratic Board of Education members for an $11 million deficit and a proposed 2‑mill tax increase.

Ponds said the Republican Town Committee and the mayor had publicly blamed Democrats even though the Board of Education is a nine‑member board with five Republicans and four Democrats. She said the root cause of the district’s deficit was underfunding that ran afoul of the state’s Minimum Budget Requirement (MBR) and that a superintendent with state department experience ensured the state reporting was completed correctly, which prompted a formal notice of violation.

Ponds urged officials to review the state comptroller’s reports and prior financial reports presented to the Board of Finance, and to take accountability rather than publicly assigning blame. She said the board had been underfunded for several years and that predictable costs — including contractual salary obligations and special education costs — were not funded, resulting in the deficit.

Councilors asked Ponds to wrap up during the public‑comment time limit; the council did not take action on the points raised but heard her request to review state reports and consider the funding history.