Hartford school leaders hopeful city, state funding will close $89 million deficit
Leaders of the Hartford Public Schools district believe they’ll be able to close the $89 million budget deficit soon.
Dr. Andraé Townsel, superintendent of Hartford Public Schools (HPS), took a positive tone when discussing the budget on Thursday.
“It’s a lot of hard work and collaboration but the good news is we don’t wish it was easy,” he said. “We just wish that we’re better and we work on it every single day, and we’re moving in the right direction, so I’m hopeful.”
The deficit for fiscal year 2026 is $29 million, and for fiscal year 2027, $60 million.
The state has committed $20.5 million in education funding to the district. Out of the $13.5 million in supplemental town aid from the state, $11.5 million is going to the district, according to its chief financial officer, Caitlin Richard.
School leaders are also relying on $35 million in funding from the Municipal Accountability Review Board (MARB), if the Hartford board of education agrees to enter the district into oversight agreements.
Recent legislation expanded MARB’s scope to help financially struggling school districts, in addition to municipalities. Hartford’s board of education has not voted on the agreement yet.
The city’s $10 million contribution includes $6 million from the city’s fund balance and $4 million from increased revenue resulting from a property tax adjustment.
The mill rate will be increased to 69.95 mills on real estate holdings. Mayor Arunan Arulampalam said the 1 mill increase is the first tax adjustment in several years, despite a steady rise in inflation and municipal costs.
On an average home worth $250,000, homeowners will pay $7.83 more a month in property taxes, according to the mayor.
“I appreciate the mayor for increasing the budget for the school system, the largest in the city’s history, especially in recent years,” said Townsel.
The city is also contributing funds from a combination of grants, reassigning fund balance, and a surplus it ends the year with, according to Richard.
The district is working to recover about $2 million from a set of open-choice suburban districts that failed to deduct the $2,000-per-student Sheff bonus grant they received from the state from their tuition bills to HPS starting in 2023.
Richard said the district is deducting the amount owed from each district’s tuition bills for the current year.
Townsel said there aren’t any cuts for next school year, but it’s possible some teachers and staff might not be called back to work because of a drop in enrollment. That’s something that happens in every school district every year, but that, combined with year-to-year uncertainty, has some teachers and students worried.
“We need a long-term solution, not this year-to-year, chop it up and rinse and repeat,” said Mike Soucy, a social studies and personal finances teacher at Hartford Public High School.
He said the changes in staffing and budget deficits are stressful for him and his students.
“This is the first year that I’m particularly safe,” he said. “The past two years I’ve been cut and then restored, both times in June, which is really stressful because I’m trying to focus on the classes, focus on my students, but I can see it in my students’ faces, as to like, if I’m going to be here next year.”
He said students make connections with their teachers, and they need that consistency to be successful.
“If we don’t have these same people in our building or these resources, that overall limits your abilities,” Asusena De Leon, a Hartford Public High School junior, said.
A steady decline in enrollment has compounded the district’s financial struggles. Townsel said he’s working to bring students back to the district.
“The question is, can we earn them back by having a great school system?” Townsel asked. “If that is the case, that comes with revenue and that helps solve the problem as well.”
He said marketing beneficial programs to families is key, like Hartford Promise, a college scholarship up to $100,000 to students who live in the city, graduate from a Hartford public school with 93% attendance, and have at least a 3.0 GPA.
Townsel is hopeful there will be legislation to change how much HPS pays for students who live in Hartford but don’t attend HPS schools. The district is required by law to cover tuition and transportation for students who choose to attend non-HPS magnet schools, open choice schools or private placement.
“The good news is, I think the political winds are blowing in the favor of Hartford public schools,” he said. “We’ve raised a concern and in good faith, those who have the power to do something have listened.”
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