Greenwich public schools Chicken Little moment: the sky was falling and now it's not
- Guy
- Nov 12
- 2 min read
Last year the sky was falling. We were told the Greenwich public schools are underfunded - even though Greenwich spends the most per pupil ($28,000) of any school in the state.
It was a year ago, that Superintendent Toni Jones requested another large +5.4% increase ($12 million) to the school budget, well above the finance board's (BET) non-binding guideline of 2.96%. To achieve a compromised 3.5% increase ($8 million), the schools responded with painful cuts, including a last-minute change to the bus schedules and the threat of cutting many teacher positions which ultimately targeted mostly media aides. After all that, in June 2025, school finance officials discovered a potential operating surplus of $2.5 million from the prior fiscal year. Sloppy, to say the least.
Welcome to FY 2026-2027, when the schools are suddenly just fine. While the BET issued a non-binding guideline of a 3.25% increase, surprise, surprise, the schools requested only a 3.13% increase ($6.3 million) for an operating budget of $207 million. Key drivers for the increase include contractual obligations for teacher wages and the transportation contract. Presentation here.
This year's budget proposal faces the fiscal reality of declining enrollment. It includes a reduction of 11.5 full-time equivalent positions, mainly due to declining middle and high school enrollment. Class sizes are expected to decrease from the 700s to the 600s.
But wait, before giving the schools full credit for coming in under the BET guidelines at 3.13%, we need to track the $2.5 million expected surplus. Under new CT state law, that surplus can now be carried forward and added to this year's school budget (rather than returned to the town's general fund to offset the $42 million the town carries of teacher health care costs). If added, the school budget increase would actually be a significant +4.4% jump, not the 3.13% happy place, the schools advertised. Give the schools an A+ in mathematical obfuscation.
Between the Lines: Thank the hard work of the outgoing Republican-controlled BET for holding firm against the unneeded school budget increases. Now let's make sure the increase is really 3.13% and not higher due to a mathematical sleight of hand.