By Sarah Opdahl

On Tuesday, January 28, New Fairfield’s Board of Education (BOE) held their third and final budget workshop. The workshop provided the opportunity for the Buildings and Grounds and Pupil Personnel Services (PPS) department representatives to walk through those areas of the budget. BOE members had questions for the staff, especially regarding special education plans.

Buildings and Grounds Director Mr. Phil Ross praised his staff effusively, saying, “we are one of the few school districts that really is responsible for everything inside the buildings and out. We do the mechanical, maintenance work, we do the custodial work, and we also do the grounds work.” A licensed HVAC technician, plumber, and electrician are among the staff, Ross explained. He pointed out that there is a healthy and active relationship ongoing with New Fairfield’s Public Works department as well. Ross is happy that his staff was able to take on some New Fairfield Middle School (NFMS) improvements, such as the new STEAM Room, which saved the school thousands of dollars by keeping the work in-house. They are  forward to working on more projects in the future.

Going through cost increases, Ross pointed out that higher operation costs for the elementary school’s wastewater pre-treatment plant is needed. The wastewater needs to be pretreated before it goes into the leach field and it needs a licensed operator. The sole operator for over two decades was a Town Health Department employee who is still willing to care for the site but is retiring and moving farther away in Litchfield County. Researching new operator costs proved that increasing fees for the current operator is the preferable option. Other large increases include a new grounds service contract, which covers “snow removal and our grass cutting for the athletic” fields. Ross explained that the last contractor left mid-year, which has complicated the work. Finally, he explained that he needs to purchase a pricey “scrubber” that is heavily used to clean the cafeteria and hallways. Ross noted that his budget was also impacted by unexpected costs for the new high school, “we had to pick up a tremendous amount of service contracts for the high school, and we are still picking them up, there are still a few more things that are coming in that we did not realize that we had to cover.”

Fiscal Year 2025-26 proposed capital improvement projects include the oft-reported upon thirty-year-old oil tank’s state-mandated removal, which has shifted to tank abandonment, a common practice in these scenarios. Ross went over potential plans for a suite of PPS offices in what was the old high school’s entrance/lobby. The work will bring the PPS staff up from the basement, where they were housed since construction began on the new high school. Their current offices would be converted back into classroom space. In addition, a phase two, future project to convert the NFMS cafeteria to music rooms was described. Beyond that work, there is also a need to replace the ventilating and dehumidification system for the pool and there is a truck that needs replacing for the buildings department.

Interim PPS Director Ms. Monika Krepszul was “thrilled to have this opportunity to talk about everything that is happening in special education,” from new programming to a much larger investment and participation in Unified Sports. She gave an update on the newly merged transition program with Newtown High School and said, “so far, it is going very well.” Krepszul also detailed the restructuring of the district’s nursing staffing, which is now fully staffed. There is a lead nurse, which replaced a float nurse position, and a nurse in each school. She explained that the district’s paraeducators have received additional training, which is in keeping with goals.

Regarding the PPS budget, Krepszul was glad to report that the office has gone paperless, which is a feat for both their paper and mailing expenses. There is a secure portal from which the parents and staff can access important paperwork, such as Individualized Education Plans. Expenses for general supplies have increased significantly for PPS, which she explained is due in part to “flexible seating,” which was recommended by the district’s occupational and physical therapists. Secondly, nursing supplies have also contributed to the increase.

The PPS consultants line, which was a major driver in the budget in recent years, and which is called upon when an open position cannot be filled, is trending down, Krepszul says, though it is unpredictable. This line contributed to a budget freeze last year that helped to successfully right the ship, and which eventually resulted in a surplus. Evaluations are up, especially bilingual evaluations, Krepszul said. In addition, district transportation is increasing, though that is largely to do with contractual obligations.