By Cherry Dumaual

NEW FAIRFIELD — The Jan. 15th New Fairfield Board of Education (BOE) regular meeting focused on Superintendent Dr. Kenneth Craw’s presentation of the proposed 2026–27 school budget: $53.6 million, representing a 4.4% increase, or $2.3 million, over the prior year.

Framed around the theme “Dedicated to Continuous Improvement,” Dr. Craw highlighted school district accomplishments while outlining how the budget supports student success “in a fiscally responsible manner.”

Reviewing academic outcomes, Dr. Craw cited the district’s continued high graduation rate along with improvements in SAT and Advanced Placement performance. He remarked, “We received just last week from the College Board recognition at the silver level for the AP honor roll.”

Turning to athletics, he noted that approximately 400 students participate across 26 sports teams over three seasons, adding, “to have six state championships in the past two years is a tremendous accomplishment.”

In music and the arts, Dr. Craw underscored New Fairfield’s recognition as one of the nation’s Best Communities for Music Education. He also relayed that student productions received 14 Halo Award nominations last year.

Dr. Craw highlighted the district’s broad range of extracurricular offerings and STEAM opportunities, including robotics, video production, and math competitions. He pointed to strong participation in both day and after-school arts and enrichment programs that support “whole child” development.

Describing the budget-development process, the superintendent emphasized its collaborative and detailed nature, with departments submitting requests beginning in October. “It must have been over 20 meetings with staff to gather the information, and then we coherently put together the budget you have before you,” he said.

Dr. Craw explained that personnel costs—primarily payroll and benefits—account for the largest share of the proposed budget, followed by rising special-education expenses. The budget also reflects programmatic priorities and staffing adjustments. Among them is sustaining and expanding full-year French and Spanish instruction in Grade 6, moving toward daily world-language instruction at the middle school, and adding one Spanish teacher to support that goal.

Enrollment-driven classroom planning also factors into the increase. Kindergarten enrollment, for example, is projected to grow from seven to nine sections, or approximately 177 students. Additional cost drivers include transportation and other non-payroll expenses such as facilities, technology, and software.

Dr. Craw also discussed funding needs for capital improvements, including middle-school music classroom upgrades and planning for phased roof replacement at the middle school, where the existing roof is more than 30 years old. HVAC and mechanical considerations are included in that planning.

Concluding his presentation, Dr. Craw said, “There’s opportunity for a lot of good questions. If the board wants to send my office a list of questions ahead of time, we can get going on a question-and-answer document, either before or after meetings, and we’ll post those questions publicly. This presentation is on our website for the public. It’s certainly available for everyone.”

He added that the proposed budget will appear on the agenda for the Feb. 5th regular BOE meeting, when the board is expected to engage in further discussion, deliberation, and possibly a vote.

Following the presentation, Dr. Craw reflected, “I wanted to just come back to why we’re here – it’s for the students.” He shared a photo of alumni who recently returned to speak with juniors and seniors about their post-graduation pathways, including college, trade training, and careers.

“They were talking about giving advice to our students … It all comes back to the students we’re trying to support,” he said. “We have to think about the decisions we make in those lenses as well, not just the fiscal ones.”

The next regular meeting of the New Fairfield Board of Education is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 5, at 7:00 p.m.