City Council

~AD HOC REPORT~ Ad Hoc: Budget - Education Tuesday, April 22, 2025 Chair Holly Robinson called the meeting to order at 6:38 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. Present were Committee Members Joe Britton, Frank Salvatore, Peter Buzaid and Irving Fox. From the City were Dan Garrick, Director of Finance; Kara Prunty, Assistant Director of Finance (Budgets and Grants), and Joanne Stark, Assistant Finance Director (Operations). From the Schools were Kara Casimiro, Superintendent; Kelly Truchess, Assistant Superintendent; Michael Weaver, CFO, Danbury Public Schools; Mike Seelig, Chief of Strategy & Operations, Public Schools; and from the Board of Education was Theresa Buzaid, Also from the City were Roberto Alves, Mayor; Taylor O’Brien, Chief of Staff, Mayor’s Office; Advisor, Mayor’s Office; Farley Santos, Community & Economic Development Advisor, Mayor’s Office. Ex-Officio members present were: Bill McAllister, Paul Rotello, Andrea Gartner, Duane Perkins, Emile Buzaid, Ben Chianese, and Diane LaPine Present from the public were Tom Brown, Rob Melillio, Al Robinson, and several unidentified individuals. Chair Robinson introduced the Committee Members and the purpose of the ad hoc. She spoke on recent events regarding surplus of education funds and thanked the administrations for working together on audits. Superintendent Casimiro spoke on education audits; she identified a surplus of $7.9M for 2022/2023, an anticipated surplus of +/- $9.4M for 2023/2024, and unaudited +/- $2.4M surplus for 2024-2025. She spoke on the lack of system controls and the challenges of getting accurate information; as a result, she has taken actions to address staffing changes, monthly reports and reconciliations, increased monitoring and accountability, and budgeting by locations. Chair Robinson asked about the surplus amounts and ECS funding of $9.1M. Member Fox expressed concerns with having money that is unspent, with the accuracy of the new budget proposal, and the issues of having funded positions that continue to go unfilled. Ms. Casimiro spoke on her administration’s new process of oversight; on the need to renegotiate and update paraeducator contracts to attract more candidates so that teachers can do their jobs better; and on getting better substitutes. Member Salvatore expressed concerns between the healthcare estimate vs. actual costs; he asked how this budget was created. Mr. Weaver explained that the schools’ administration uses a company to model healthcare needs; he explained that they do not start the new budget with a zero baseline but did review each stakeholder’s budget by line item. Member Peter Buzaid asked about teacher loss for the new school year; Ms. Casimiro noted that conditions and learner profiles are more difficult, and the need for more support staff like paraprofessionals; she did not have an exact number of departing teachers; and she noted the need for an additional 40-50 current openings that need to be filled; and discussed the need for consistent substitutes. Member Peter Buzaid spoke on the need to know what actual funds are available at any time; Ms. Casimiro spoke on the improvements to the finance staff that will eventually allow for this. She discussed grant and funding requirements that require a lot of work. Member Britton expressed his concern over the surpluses and thanked the new administration for pushing the audits and ultimately finding the surpluses. He asked about the items that Ms. Casimiro noted as protocols that need to take place; she confirmed that working through each part of the budget and finances helps to find discrepancies and does not allow for use of extra monies. Member Britton asked about the procurement system and who authorizes expenditures; Mr. Weaver explained that requests are presented and then approved by Finance staff; grants are approved by one individual. Ms. Casimiro confirmed that each building has a set budget and anything not preapproved at the beginning of the year is reviewed by Finance staff and finalized by the Superintendent. Member Britton asked if there is any reason to believe that the new education budget will result in a surplus; Ms. Casimiro confirmed that the audits will continue to help to identify areas that may need to be addressed; Mr. Weaver confirmed that funds from unused items are now identified and monies are not allowed to be earmarked before the funds are available. Chair Robinson asked that all expenses are itemized and reports are provided quarterly to the Council. Member Fox spoke on the need to correct and improve the process and to codify the process for any new administrators in the future; he also spoke on the need to hire and appoint individuals who know what they are doing to be able to identify and correct concerns. He spoke on the long-term financial issues with Danbury Public Schools that go beyond politics. Mayor Alves discussed accountability and the need for partnerships between the City and Schools. He spoke on the need for more oversight and the exchange of information to prevent this from happening again. Ms. Casimiro identified one-time funds to cover the difference between the Schools’ and Mayor’s proposed budgets; she noted that unknowns will come up from the new high school. Chair Robinson asked about recruitment needs to fill the 68 open positions at DHS West and 40-50 Paraprofessional positions; Ms. Casimiro spoke on contract negotiations with higher pay rates that she hopes to attract more applicants. Chair Robinson asked about facility improvements; Ms. Casimiro spoke on new equipment and technology that are purchased and funded with ARPA funds; she noted the purchase of supplies for classrooms at the new high school with ARPA and unused funds from this fiscal year. Member Fox thanked the Schools for presenting a plan to fill any budget gaps and agreed with the use of one-time funds for supplies and equipment; he thanked School representatives for their work. Member Britton asked about a review for personnel efficiency; Ms. Casimiro spoke about positions that are hard to fill and the redistribution of work to existing staff that are paid for that overage, however this fatigues teachers and results in less volunteerism especially with after school programs; she confirmed that overage is at an all time high. She noted teacher residency programs with WestConn, University of Bridgeport and UConn in the future. Chair Robinson reiterated improvements to this year’s presentation and information. Member Salvatore spoke in support of the Mayor’s Budget and expressed concerns with the use of the one- time funds; Ms. Casimiro confirmed that the most that can be carried over is a 2% maximum. Member Salvatore asked about the restoration of positions from 2024/2025 using one-time funds. Member Fox asked about the surplus estimates and when those funds can be used; Mayor Alves confirmed that audited funds can be used. Mr. Rotello asked for clarification of the surplus amounts and spoke on the need to provide and review each line item of the Schools’ expenses for future proposals; Ms. Casimiro clarified that $12M in one-time funds went directly to the Schools and that the Schools have two years to spend the money. She explained that expenses need to be submitted for approval and some funds were used to keep positions for DHS staff requirements for accreditation, instructional coaches, and media specialist positions. About $4M of these funds are yet to be spent. Mr. Chianese spoke on the need to include grants in the calculations and what these funds are being used for to confirm that one-time funds are not being used for long term needs. He spoke on possible contractual changes and increased costs in the near future and asked for long term budget proposals. He also asked for Schools budget reports on a regular basis. Chair Robinson spoke on the need to have the City and Schools work together to get more private funding; Ms. Casimiro spoke on the opportunities of career focused education and bridging their students with companies. Mr. Coelho asked for the detailed breakdown of the confirmed surplus amounts; Ms. Casimiro confirmed they could provide that information. Mr. Coelho asked what will change moving forward. Mr. Duane Perkins noted the need to address mental health needs; he spoke on the need for long-term budget proposals, he about asked overcrowding at Broadview Middle School, and about special needs; Ms. Casimiro confirmed that redistricting was completed to help with the overcrowding; Ms. Truchess stated that there are about 1,800 special needs students in district and 60 that are placed out of district due to specific needs, and she reviewed staffing requirements. Chair Robinson thanked everyone for attending. A motion made by Member Salvatore, and seconded by member Britton, to recommend that the City Council to adopt the Mayor's Education budget as presented. The motion carries unanimously. A motion made by Member P. Buzaid,, and seconded by Member Salvatore, to adjourn. The motion carries unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 8:35 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Holly Robinson, Chair; Joseph Britton, Frank Salvatore, Peter Buzaid, Irving Fox