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Senate approves measure to separate SAU administrative budgets on warrant articles over objections
Summary
The Senate adopted an amendment and approved House Bill 5-64 to require school administrative units to separate administrative budget items into their own warrant article, a measure sponsors said increases transparency while opponents warned of unintended cuts to administrative capacity.
The Senate adopted the committee recommendation of ought to pass with amendment on House Bill 5-64, which requires school administrative units (SAUs) to separate administrative budget items from educational costs into a distinct warrant article.
Senator Ward, presenting the Education Finance Committee report, said the change "will enable voters and the school district to know what the administrative costs are to educate their children versus the educational costs." The amendment allows any unassigned general-fund balance to be returned to the school district at year's end.
Opponents cautioned that the change risks weakening the administrative backbone that serves multiple districts. "If voters have very limited visibility into what that work actually entails... the temptation to vote no is entirely predictable," Senator Altschuler said, arguing that the result could be effectively cutting administrative capacity in an era of growing mandates.
Proponents pressed the transparency argument and cited a decades-old SAU study that estimated administrative costs; Senator Murphy urged the body to provide voters more information about administrative vs. educational spending.
The committee amendment was adopted by voice vote and the Senate ordered the bill to third reading.
