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Middletown school board votes to request 5.59% budget increase after surprise utility backbill and higher workers' comp costs
Summary
The Middletown Board of Education voted 5-4 to request a 5.59% increase to send to the mayor and council after the superintendent disclosed an unanticipated Eversource backbill of about $600,000 and a roughly $62,000 rise in workers' compensation costs; board members debated cuts vs. preserving programs.
The Middletown Board of Education voted 5-4 on Wednesday to request a 5.59% increase to the districts budget to forward to the mayor and common council, after Interim Superintendent Dr. Adley told the board of two unanticipated costs that could affect the coming fiscal year.
Dr. Adley told the board the district had been the victim of billing errors by Eversource that resulted in years of misstated charges and a recent backbill that "that's about $600,000" for the backtracked billing period. He also told members workers' compensation premiums have risen, which the district quantified in the meeting as an increase of approximately $62,000.
The disclosures set the tone for a lengthy debate over how aggressively the board should ask the mayor to fund the schools. Supporters of the 5.59% request argued the…
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