Share
DARIEN – On Tuesday night, the Board of Finance slashed $2 million from the $121.9 million school budget approved by the Board of Education earlier this year.
Darien’s Board of Education had asked for a higher-than-average 6.48 percent hike, or $7.4 million in added funding. After cuts by by the Board of Finance, the budget ask will be drop to a 4.73 percent increase or $5.4 million more in spending over last year.
Darien was not alone in grappling with unprecedented budgetary challenges this year. With soaring health insurance costs, higher pay raises for teachers and the expiration of federal COVID funds, school districts across the state have been feeling the pinch.
School Superintendent Alan Addley’s initial request for a 6.19 percent increase already came packaged with teacher cuts, along with an administrative reorganization, triggering opposition from many parents, teachers and students. After a lengthy budget process and several evenings of spirited public comments, school board members restored the teacher positions and handed the $121,864,475 funding proposal to the Board of Finance for their say.
Pressing for fiscal discipline, Chairman Jim Palen initially called for holding the line at a 4 percent increase in the school annual budget, an approach that packed the small meeting room on Tuesday night with residents and teachers opposing the cuts.
Council of Darien School Parents Chair Crystal Hill said such a drastic cutback would mean fewer teachers, larger class sizes and reductions for instructional aides. “There’s no fluff in this budget. There are not enough efficiencies that can be found in this economic environment to cut $2.8 million without touching the programs that benefit our students,” she warned board members.
Kate Kaufman said her family moved to Darien from Norwalk for the quality of the schools and that it was vital for the town to continue to invest heavily in them. “Families will look elsewhere if they feel the quality of the education is not up to what other communities in this area offer,” she said.
But Palen pushed back against the idea that any cuts in the Board of Education’s preferred budget meant a lack of commitment to education. He pointed out that, even with a $2 million reduction in the requested budget, the school district was still receiving $5.4 million dollars more than last year, or a 4.7 percent hike – the highest increase in the past decade and significantly more than the 3.4 percent increase requested last year, all while student enrollment trends lower.
Palen said that with adjustments to the way the schools operate, the town can still deliver the same high quality education with a 4.73 percent increase in the school budget.
“Our town’s historical focus on both efficient service delivery and financial discipline are what have allowed Darien to make large investments in our schools, including $60 million for the new Ox Ridge Elementary School and $101 million for the renovation of three other elementary schools, as well as invest $85 million to purchase Great Island. We can maintain budget discipline while making these investments, which will require finding ways to deliver desired service levels at the same or lower costs. It can be done,” Palen explained in a written statement to CT Examiner.
After voting to trim the school budget and approving the Board of Selectmen’s $53 million budget request, the Board of Finance set the town’s new mill rate at 14.69 for FY 2025, down from 17.61. Given last year’s property revaluation, which grew the Grand List by 25 percent, the town’s total tax levy will rise by 4.3 percent. According to Palen, the average Darien taxpayer will still see a property tax increase of 6.1 percent.
The town and school budgets still need to be approved by the Representative Town Meeting which will meet on May 13 to vote on the funding proposals.
You can watch the discussion on Darien TV79.