As New Britain superintendent works to balance budget, mayor questions leadership
The superintendent of New Britain is proposing $11.7 million in staffing and program cuts for next school year, a move the city’s mayor and legislators describe as “scare tactics.”
The district’s budget calls for an additional $18.9 million to maintain current operations for the next school year.
The Consolidated School District of New Britain Superintendent Tony Gasper announced $11.7 million in cuts, including the closure of Northend Elementary, cuts to high school and middle school sports and clubs, and 103 staff layoffs.
The 103 layoffs include 49 non-tenured teachers who were notified they would not have jobs next school year. Gasper said they are required by law to notify teachers about layoffs by May 1.
“What we discuss tonight is not yet final, but they are very real possibilities if the local and state contributions to education are not substantially increased,” Gasper said while discussing the cuts at a board of education meeting Thursday night.
Mayor Bobby Sanchez and members of the New Britain legislative delegation, Sen. Rick Lopes, and State Reps. Manny Sanchez, David DeFronzo, Iris Sanchez, and Gary Turco issued a joint statement calling for an audit of school finances:
“The children of New Britain deserve stability, honesty, and leadership focused on solutions. Unfortunately, the recent actions and public statements of the Superintendent have raised serious concerns about whether he is providing that leadership.
For years, the New Britain delegation has delivered millions of dollars in additional education funding for our city, and this year is no different. The Mayor’s proposed budget increases the City’s recurring Minimum Budget Requirement by $1 million, creating a stronger permanent foundation for school funding. In addition, the delegation and Mayor are actively working with state leaders to secure millions more in education support for New Britain.
Yet before the final amount of state funding is known, and before every internal option has been exhausted, layoff notices have been issued to teachers who serve our students every day well before the required notice date. That is unacceptable. Teachers should not be used as leverage in a political budget strategy. Before threatening classrooms, the district should have fully examined administrative reductions, operational efficiencies, non-classroom savings, and every other responsible alternative available.
The Superintendent’s public statements have been as troubling as they are revealing. They reflect a fundamental misunderstanding of how the City budget is structured and how education funding is actually provided. It is easy to demand tens of millions of dollars from New Britain taxpayers when you do not personally bear the burden of those tax increases yourself, while proposing a raise for yourself on an already nearly $300,000 salary. Working families, seniors, renters, and homeowners already stretched thin are the ones who would be asked to pay the price for a request of this magnitude. They deserve better than scare tactics, misplaced blame, and finger-pointing.
The numbers matter. The district’s own proposed budget requests $146,971,610 in General Fund spending. Of that amount, $72,450,710 is funded through the ECS formula and $55,549,290 is already committed by the City through the Minimum Budget Requirement. The remaining request is $18,971,610. With the Mayor’s proposed $1 million MBR increase and millions in anticipated additional state support, the remaining gap will be significantly reduced. Those facts should have guided a more responsible and measured approach.
Given these ongoing concerns, we will work in collaboration with the Board of Education to engage with the State on an independent audit of the district’s budget practices, financial assumptions, and administrative spending decisions. Taxpayers, parents, educators, and staff deserve full transparency and accountability.
We must also be candid: based on the decisions made in this process, we lack confidence in the Superintendent’s ability to lead the district through the serious financial and academic challenges ahead.
New Britain students deserve leadership that is collaborative, solutions-oriented, fiscally responsible, and relentlessly focused on student outcomes. That is the standard our children deserve, and it is the standard we will continue to demand.“
In response to calls for an audit, Gasper said the school district is audited annually.
“We’ve not had any substantial findings on our on our audits that we have every year, so we’ve got nothing to hide,” he said. “We’d welcome the audit.”
Gasper pointed to the progress and positive results he’s seen in the district when asked about the concerns regarding his leadership.
“We’ve [been] getting better results than this district has seen in many, many years so I’m not here to make friends,” Gasper said. “I’m here to get results for the kids of New Britain.”
The board of education initially voted to approve the non-renewal of contracts for the 49 non-tenured teachers. After hearing emotional public comments from teachers, parents, and students, the board voted again and did not approve the motion, saying they needed a few days to think about the vote.
The final school budget must be approved in June.
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