Superintendent of Schools Chris Melillo outlined an initial 2023-24 spending proposal to the Board of Education January 17 totaling $85,989,669 — a roughly $3,855,030, or 4.69 percent, increase over the current year.

As Melillo said at the meeting, it was the first budget session digging into the school district’s proposed spending plan, and he expects there to be many discussions about the school system’s future.

“As you know, this has been yet another complex year with many challenges that we continue to face,” said Melillo. “In times of struggle, having a resilient spirit becomes an asset that seems to transform challenges into opportunities for growth.”

Melillo said the district is prepared for the challenges, “and we will emerge on the other side stronger.”

The spending proposal, the superintendent shared, is in line with the district’s mission and developing strategic plan, with an aim at creating an environment with high expectations, quality instruction, continuous improvement, and civic responsibility.

“During volatile economic times and facing unprecedented challenges, it’s important to remind ourselves that ensuring that our students reach their academic potential is our primary mission,” Melillo said.

The superintendent said it is clear the pandemic has impacted student achievement and strategies are necessary to offset that impact.

“We are at a tipping point: Federal relief funding has ended, while student academic, mental health, and social/emotional needs exist,” said Melillo. “We’re tasked with creating a budget that supports our programming, while taking into account the financial stressors in our community.”

Addressing the challenges means “being better,” Melillo said.

Melillo then shared that an “instructional core” includes teacher knowledge and skill, student engagement, and academically challenging content.

“You don’t change performance without changing the instructional core,” said Melillo.

When looking to improve student learning, Melillo said the district must increase teacher knowledge and improve practice.

As shared in a presentation on the spending proposal, improving instructional practice plans includes implementing ongoing training for the sixth to eighth grade math program; facilitating kindergarten to twelfth grade curriculum and planning committees; designing continued training for English second language teachers; and supplying intensive professional development to support kindergarten to third grade teachers in the science of reading.

It also includes budgeting for support and training for new teachers; providing opportunities to attend regional conferences; delivering professional development for kindergarten to eighth grade fine arts teachers; organizing kindergarten to fourth grade leadership goal-setting and planning meetings; offering seventh to twelfth grade inquiry training for science and social studies teachers; distributing speakers and trainers for professional development based on need; enhancing professional development to support administrators; and engaging in walkthrough protocols.

The presentation also outlined that providing rigorous and relevant content efforts will include enabling ongoing design, revision, and updating the kindergarten to twelfth grade curriculum; aligning kindergarten to third grade reading resources with the mandated Connecticut State Department of Education requirements effective July 1; offering digital resources to complement teacher-directed instruction; including an updated edition of a Latin textbook; and using assessments to drive instruction to meet student needs.

Anticipated Obstacles

Melillo’s presentation also outlined obstacles for the 2023-24 budget as sunsetting grants, an increase in special education services, managing contractual increases; a reduction from the state in Excess Cost Funding; addressing interrupted learning; accounting for unfunded mandates; the economic climate; and an enrollment shift.

“Currently, our overall enrollment projection is flat,” said Melillo.

Melillo pointed out that the majority of the budget is funded by tax revenue, about 94.65 percent, while the Education Cost Sharing grant will fund about 5.23 percent, other grants will fund .03 percent, local tuition will fund .04 percent, parking permits will fund .04 percent, and miscellaneous fees will fund .01 percent.

The school district’s 2023-24 budget first started with individual school principals sharing budget proposals for review. According to Melillo, those initial requests from the schools started at a 6.83 percent increase from the current budget year.

The requests were reduced by 2.14 percent, resulting in the Superintendent’s Requested Operational Plan, which represents a 4.69 percent increase from the current spending plan.

Melillo pointed out that the three main budget drivers are salaries, benefits, and special education.

“By streamlining processes, finding more cost-effective options, and reducing the cost of running our schools, we can allocate more funds to teaching and learning,” said Melillo.

The superintendent also shared a breakdown of staffing requests and reductions, while saying there is a conscious effort to support special education needs.

The total staffing request is a decrease of 7.64 full-time equivalent positions across the district, a $188,638 increase, due to the difference of previously funded grant positions.

“The past two years we’ve gone anywhere between ten and 15 empty [paraprofessional] positions,” said Melillo, “because the labor shortage is real. And a majority of those positions support our neuro-diverse students, our special education students.”

Melillo said he knew requesting positions that had not been filled in two years would be a “tall task” while he understands “that my most vulnerable students need the support of my awesome paraprofessionals.”

“We had made a conscious decision to reduce paraprofessionals in a hope that these people,” said Melillo, “and I think we have room for all of them, will land positions supporting our special needs students.”

Melillo said he wants the paraprofessionals to “come back” as they are “the backbone of our school system.”

Other presentation highlights included other purchased services, such as a $622,176 increase for out-of-district tuition, a $104,345 increase for transportation, and an increase of $35,534 for other areas of the budget. 2023-24 will be the second year of a five year contract for local in-district transportation.

The budget presentation noted that while the transportation contract with All-Star Transportation, which oversees the majority of Newtown’s school transportation needs, includes an increase of 4 percent, the request for the in-district portion has decreased by $85,883 due to the combination of routes in the current year.

Additionally, out-of-district transportation has increased by $190,228, due to an increase in outplaced students and having to secure services outside of the district’s contract with EdAdvance for out-of-district transportation.

Overall, Melillo’s presentation broke the 2023-24 budget down to $38,345,502 for regular education, curriculum, technology, and Continuing Education; $18,254,512 for special education and pupil personnel; and $29,389,655 for general services, benefits, transportation, and plant.

Newtown’s net 2022-23 expenditure per pupil, as shared in the presentation, is $20,035. Compared with surrounding districts with similar costs of living, Melillo shared, Newtown’s per pupil expenditure is roughly half of some other districts, and across the state Newtown ranks 91 out of 164 districts for spending, and in Newtown’s District Reference Group (DRG) it is seventh out of 22.

In closing his presentation, Melillo reflected that impact from the pandemic still lingers, and Newtown has an opportunity to support students and respond in a way that will improve student outcomes.

The superintendent urged the school board to take time to absorb all of the information from his presentation and budget proposal.

“As we engage in the next steps of our budget process, I [and] my team look forward to a collaborative and positive conversation about appropriately and adequately investing in the staffing, the resources, and the education programs needed for our children,” Melillo said.

The superintendent’s 2023-24 spending proposal will be reviewed by the Board of Education over multiple meetings. A public hearing on the budget before the Board of Education is scheduled for Thursday, January 26, after this week’s print edition of The Newtown Bee has been published.

Look for updates at newtownbee.com and in the January 27 print edition.

The school board is expected to adopt its school spending package at its January 31 meeting. From there the budget will go before the Board of Finance and Legislative Council before going to referendum in April.

Education Editor Eliza Van can be reached at eliza@thebee.com.