Following up on a long and varied list of questions submitted by Board of Finance members, Wilton Public Schools Superintendent Kevin Smith shared details on the Board of Education‘s proposed budget with BOF members Tuesday night, Feb. 11, at a joint in-person meeting between the two boards.
Last month Smith proposed a $96.97 million school budget, which represented exactly a 4% increase over the current budget, matching the 4%-increase guidance provided by the BOF.
“I know that was hard, so I wanted to thank you for that,” BOF Chair Matt Raimondi told Smith at the end of Tuesday’s 90-minute discussion.
One question that’s come out of events in Washington, D.C., in recent days is whether presidential executive orders could impact federal grant money through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Smith said Wilton gets about $1 million from the federal government.
“I think the worry would be that there’s some change at the federal level where those funds dry up,” Smith said, adding, “Unless something really dramatic happens, I wouldn’t anticipate seeing that happen.”
Assistant Superintendent for Special Services Andrea Leonardi said she had heard talk that the grant could become a block amount that goes directly to the state and would then be divided up based on economic need.
“That’s where I think the risk of IDEA is,” she said.
“We will apply for the IDEA funding, as we always do, in late April, early May, so we’ll see what the discussion is with all federal funding being under scrutiny,” she said. “There is some concern out in the field about how it will be distributed.”
Smith said, “We’ve got some uncertainties as we move into the next year that we have to be mindful of … If those funding streams dry up, we’re going to have to respond locally.”
Asked about things that remain of prime concern for him — or keep him up at night — Smith cited the school facilities themselves.
“It’s the facilities,” he said, noting fire and water events that have caused substantial damage in the last couple of years.
“We just don’t have a contingency plan,” he said, stating he was worried to have the upcoming vacation week.
“I’m terrified to leave because the last two years over February break we’ve had a pipe burst somewhere,” he said. “That’s where we are … We’ve got aging facilities and these things happen and we have to respond when they do, and that’s a risk in the budget.”
Smith, meanwhile, spoke proudly of the efforts the district has made — much of the work led by Leonardi — in establishing cost-saving in-district education options for special needs students that might otherwise have to be taught out-of-district at a much higher cost to the town.
“We have to serve our kids, whether it’s here or someplace else, and when it’s someplace else it’s usually very costly,” he said, citing out-of-district per-pupil cost at around $120,000 on average, coupled with a substantial amount spent for transportation.
“I think the investment we’ve made in SpEd over the years we’re seeing really pay off,” he said, with the Genesis program saving $576,000 annually.
He said the relocation of the Community Steps program to a new Wilton Center storefront will save transportation money in the long run.
Another transportation savings will come through the purchase of a new van, which will have a driver paid as a Wilton Public Schools employee.
“We’re gonna run this as a pilot this year. I’m assuming it’s going to go really well,” Smith said, with the purchase of a second van planned if it does, to further reduce transportation costs.
Smith was asked about some of the items that were being deferred this year, including a new dean at Wilton High School to help with school climate and discipline issues asked for to help handle a large amount of related administrative work.
Smith also noted a request at Cider Mill School for an extra teacher who might oversee a non-traditional classroom for students struggling to self-regulate in the traditional classroom environment.
“That one we looked at really seriously,” he said, but felt that the proposal “needed to be a little more fully baked.”
Other requests involved more paraprofessional help, materials and furniture.
“We have been starving our furniture replacement budget for years and we continue to this year as well,” Smith said.
The cost of substitute teachers was increased in this year’s budget, in part due to a shortage. Smith said that, in order to meet the need, especially for long-term substitute teaching positions, jobs are being offered to retired teachers, who are then paid at the high rate at which they retired.
“There’s been a major teacher shortage, which has also impacted that … We’ve got a smaller pool too. People don’t want to substitute anymore and that makes it challenging,” Smith said.
BOE Chair Ruth DeLuca praised the district, indicating it was spending money with good results.
“This is a product that we should all feel immense pride over,” she said.
Smith concurred.
“The money we’re investing in this district produces many good products … We’re investing in sustaining excellence,” he said.