At their Thursday, April 6 meeting, New Fairfield’s Board of Education (BOE) voted to endorse a budget reduction scenario that would not impact their operating budget. There were some discussions about whether the vote was symbolic and would carry weight with the Board of Finance, but they ultimately agreed to hold the vote that resulted with seven members in favor and two abstentions. The reductions they support include using the bond premium, all medical cost savings options, and projected interest, income, and revenue to offset the budget. Board Chair Mr. Dominic Cipollone acknowledged that the current proposed budgets at 13.15% “clearly is a number no one can possibly live with,” but he sees the aforementioned reductions as a way to bring the budget to a more palatable 7.98%.

In the lead up to the vote, Superi ntendent Dr. Kenneth Craw walked the BOE through the budget from a different angle, pointing out the pressure points in the budget. “There really is a confluence of factors this year,” he said, “the annual debt payments for the building project are at the highest next year. The medical claims are considerably higher than what was originally budgeted for. The federal relief funding has been exhausted…Inflation is at an all time high. And, of course, pandemic recovery is something that we look at very closely when we look at the needs of our students.”

With reductions in the millions discussed at recent BOF meetings, Craw fears that large staffing and program cuts will go into effect. He is hopeful that more definitive numbers will emerge from the BOF talks, given that “it’s essential for staff wh o might be losing employment to be notified as soon as possible.” The staff are nervous about the cuts, and some have asked administrators for letters of recommendation. Craw stressed, “any new reductions to this budget will come from staffing and we’re using the figure of six certified and two non-certified staff members for every $500,000 reduction.” Regarding recruitment he said, “we’re very aggressive when we try to go out and get the best educators possible to be working with our students. That’s on pause right now, while other districts are hiring for their vacant positions. If this process goes too long, then the top candidates will have been taken when it does come time to fill positions if people leave.”

In his Chairman’s Report, Cipollone said, “Great schools are the centerpiece of every su burban community…we build our communities around our schools, they benefit the young as well as the old, our students. If these draconian cuts take place, we’ll be left with overcrowded classrooms, a diminished sports program, a diminished arts program and diminished Gifted and Talented program an d what will be the win there?” He went on to predict, “We’re going down a path that I believe will have significant loss, long-lasting negative effects. The ripple effect of this pebble, or boulder, will be felt for years.”

In other news, the BOE voted to approve the high school graduation date as Friday, June 16. It was confirmed that the ceremony would take place outdoors on the football field and a post-graduate party will be held that evening.

The BOE approved a policy prohibiting staff from communicating with students over social media. Ms. Samantha Mannion noted that the policy came from the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education and “in light of current events, when we started looking at our policies, we realized that we really didn’t have tight enough policies when it came to teachers and staff communicating with students through the use of their own devices.” The new language spells out the district’s policy regarding communication on social media sites, in that communicating with students through any non-district sanctioned method is now prohibited.  She said the new language, “truly protects the children in our district and is much more explicit than the pol icies that we have in place previously.” This policy will be examined frequently, given the speed with which technology evolves and to ensure the utmost safety for students.

The next regular Board of Education meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 25, 7:00 p.m.

By Sarah Opdahl