This year, Putnam Public Schools Superintendent Steven Rioux will ask the town of Putnam to give its school district an additional $1.6 million — a 7.23% increase from last year.
“When I built my budget this year, I asked the principals to tell me what you need, and the need was about $2.5 million, or an 11% increase,” Rioux said. “That’s not going to happen, right?”
So Rioux started cutting. He cut staff, resources and programs, and when he was done, he had whittled that 11% increase down to 7.23%. If Gov. Ned Lamont’s proposed budget becomes law, the full amount will have to be funded by local property taxes in Putnam.
