The Legislative Council heard an update from State Representative Mitch Bolinsky during its meeting on Wednesday, October 7, regarding the state’s Substitute House Bill 7019, An Act Concerning The Minimum Budget Requirement.

As Legislative Council Chair Mary Ann Jacob reminded her board before the discussion began, Rep Bolinsky was there to discuss only changes to the law, and the council would not discuss how those changes would be applied to Newtown.

“It’s a fact-finding mission to help everybody here understand … as is our responsibility, what the law says,” said Ms Jacob.

Rep Bolinsky said the Minimum Budget Requirement Bill is an update to existing legislation.

“And it happens to be a groundbreaking update,” he added, “but it is very, very important that everybody in this room and everybody in our community understands that the concept of what has been changed in this particular [Minimum Budget Requirement bill] … the intention of the law is to put a tool in the toolbox for localities to work within their budgets and react to demographic changes that happen within their communities.”

Newtown is not alone in experiencing declining enrollment in its school district, Rep Bolinsky said. He noted that other areas in the state are experiencing significant enrollment decreases, “to the point where there are literally school districts that are buckling under the load.”

Rep Bolinsky said the Minimum Budget Requirement bill was introduced by House Speaker Brendan Sharkey and was co-sponsored by roughly 57 other representatives, including himself. The bill was also signed into law, Public Act 15-99, according to Rep Bolinsky, after it passed the house, senate, and Governor Dannel P. Malloy.

As it applies to towns, Rep Bolinsky said the original statutes pertaining to minimum budget requirements stated that in no year could a school district spend less money than it did the year before.

“The only exceptions to that in the old law,” he added, “were for declining enrollment and closure of district facilities, not necessarily schools … as well as any increased efficiencies.”

The minimum budget requirement law as it used to exist, Rep Bolinsky said, was limited to budget adjustments that were no greater than one-half of one percent in any one budget year.

Instead of limiting a town to reducing its budget by one-half of one percent of the total previous year’s budget, Rep Bolinsky said the new act allows for a budget to be increased to “a per-student dollar amount of 50 percent of the school district’s new current expenditure per resident student.”

“It means it can be possibly greater than that one-half of one percent for those districts that need that,” said Rep Bolinsky, who also said the underlying spirit of the law is to not degrade education in the school district.

All changes to budgets will be submitted to the education commissioner for approval.

“It requires full agreement or majority agreement by the Boards of Education in the effected districts by the district’s Legislative Council, and I dare say every single member of the community,” said Rep Bolinsky. “So this law is really pretty important to view as one that can be used to focus on enhanced educational opportunities in places where there is enrollment decline, but it does not allow for a degradation in the educational experience.”

Districts like Newtown have a “blank slate” with the new bill, said Rep Bolinsky, offering the ability present a plan that was approved at the community level to the state for review, but at this point there are no procedures for that review process.

“The top ten percent of districts, according to performance in the latest state metrics, qualify to be totally exempted from the [minimum budget requirement formula],” said Rep Bolinsky.

Legislative Council members and First Selectman Pat Llodra asked a number of questions regarding regulations that would guide municipalities. Mrs Llodra voiced concern about there being no guidance in the law for municipalities like Newtown.

Board of Education Chair Keith Alexander said the previous state minimum budget requirement bill offered a “bottom line,” but the new bill appears to offer no bottom limit.

Ms Jacob requested Rep Bolinsky to bring all of the concerns voiced during Wednesday’s meeting back to the legislature with a request for regulations.

An update was also shared with the Board of Education at its meeting on Tuesday, October 20, including clarifying information on the Minimum Budget Requirement bill.