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Hartford Public Schools asks city and state for $60.4M to avert deep cuts, cites $52.5M FY27 baseline deficit
Summary
Superintendent Andre Tounsell and CFO Caitlin Richard told the council HPS faces a baseline FY27 deficit of about $52.5M and is requesting $60.4M in total — including $3M for 23 literacy interventionists and $5M to expand in‑district special‑education programming — saying the district has "nothing left to cut."
Hartford Public Schools (HPS) officials asked the Operations Management, Budget and Government Accountability Committee on April 22 for urgent state and city support to close a sizable FY27 funding gap.
Superintendent Andre Tounsell said HPS has taken steady cuts over the past decade and "there is nothing left to cut," pointing to $200 million and roughly 600 positions eliminated over the last 10 years and $70 million and 400 positions removed in the last three years. He asked councilors to join the district in advocating to keep Hartford whole.
CFO Caitlin Richard provided a detailed fiscal picture: adopted FY26 revenue and FY27 projected revenue are about $435,900,000, while proposed FY27 expenses total about $496,300,000 — a baseline FY27 gap of roughly $52.5 million. The district’s total ask, which includes new program investments, is about $60.4 million.
Richard identified the primary cost drivers: tuition and transportation. HPS paid about $115,000,000 in tuition last year; roughly $97,000,000 of…
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