NORWICH – Norwich City School District Superintendent Gerard O'Sullivan presented the district's proposed $42,190,905 budget for the 2018-19 school year at a public hearing on Monday night, with a handful of community members, school employees, and school board candidates in attendance.

O'Sullivan said the proposed budget is a zero percent increase in spending from the enacted 2017-18 budget, and it includes a 2.59 percent tax levy increase. If approved, the tax levy would be an $84 increase on homes assessed at $100,000 in the city of Norwich, and $99 on homes in the town.

O'Sullivan noted the tax levy average over the last five years has been about 1.2 percent increase a year, and said, "A five-year average of 1.2 percent, is, I think, reasonable."

Breaking down the district's revenue sources, O'Sullivan said about 69 percent of the school's funding comes from state aid, about 26 percent comes from revenues through the tax levy, and the other roughly 5 percent comes from miscellaneous sources.

"We're heavily dependent on state aid, so, when the state budget goes, so does Norwich," said O'Sullivan.

O'Sullivan broke down the district's spending into 10 categories: operations and maintenance, transportation, debt service, co-curricular activities, interscholastic sports, special education, regular education, benefits, professional development, and BOCES support services.