By Sarah Opdahl

New Fairfield’s Board of Education (BOE) heard in-depth presentations from school officials on planning for facilities, athletics, and special education in the proposed 2024-2025 budget. Board members expressed appreciation for their work and, as this was the final workshop, indicated to school administrators that cuts were needed to bring the proposed budget from 5.25% to under 5%.

Buildings and Grounds Director Mr. Phil Ross listed a series of projects that are planned in order to continue maintaining the middle and older wings of the elementary school, including flooring and an oft-discussed intercom system. He drew a picture of an efficient team, with an on-staff electrician, plumber, HVAC technician, and more, but explained that a large amount of the facilities budget increases involve service contracts and “this really has everything to do with the addition of the new high school.” He noted, “A lot of folks may not understand, but we have another gym, another set of bleachers to maintain and take care of.” He went on to point out the work that is involved in maintaining another cafeteria kitchen, an additional building management system, a very large boiler plant and hot water heaters, digital security cameras, a very complex exhaust system, and more. Beyond those large increases, there is a request to replace a thirteen-year-old student transportation van—he said that there may be a request in future years for a garage space to house internal vehicles.

The track and field replacement is a significant expense in the budget, which will be offset by the originally intended funding of the work, the Field Fees budget. The field is thirteen years old and Ross detailed its need for replacement.  Ross said, the “turf is beginning to disintegrate.” He went on to say, “the track is really in the same kind of shape and it is of the same age.” Ross also said that there is interest in creating a middle school outdoor recess space, which would involve removing a large raised concrete planter bed and reconstruction of the driveway and the sidewalks. “It really gives us a safe area away from traffic, away from parking where the kids can play.” More project requests include the creation of a storage area for the facilities staff to replace storage that was eliminated in the school building projects.

Athletics Director Mr. Mark Ottusch gave an update on positive news in sports, including exciting games that are happening in the new high school’s gym, which is getting a lot of compliments from outside coaches and fans. He also highlighted recent accolades, such as the high school receiving the distinguished Michael’s Cup, a special award recognizing high levels of sportsmanship,  for the first time in twenty years. There are also more student leadership opportunities being offered, which are both rewarding and aid in bonding. In terms of budget, there is a significant increase requested in athletic supervision, which would include school staff, including possibly a future Assistant Athletic Director, and police support. He described the le vel of difficulty his position entails in making all of the sporting events roll smoothly each evening and weekend with as many as five events going on simultaneously, and said, “I can’t be everywhere all at once.”

There was a discussion about the buses, vans, and rented vehicles that are used for sporting events and ways to possibly cut those fees. Ottusch explained that, with small enough teams, coaches could get license endorsements to drive the students themselves. There was also a brief discussion on building usage and the fees associated with the reservations.

Director of Pupil Personnel Services Ms. Maria Kennedy explained that a host of good work is happening in the special ed ucation department, such as receiving a special grant to fund Unified Sports for students of all abilities for the middle and high school over the next three years and increased professional development for paraprofessionals. New to the district, with a team new to their positions, she said there are four priorities for this year: building relationships, building capacity, high-quality Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), and the continuum of ne eded services.

Kennedy noted that identifications for students who have special needs have, once again, increased to 367 students in the district, up by 18 student s over last year. Higher numbers will impact the budget, as will a large increase in professional development fees. She explained, for example, “We have a high need for students that have reading difficulties. So we really want to focus professional learning on those areas,” in addition to writing. Professional development is also needed in best practices on writing IEPs.

A high level of consultants are a large driving force in the budget. There is also an increase requested in contingency funds. When asked about pendin g legal issues, Kennedy said that there are a “good number of settlements at this time.”  She also supported two new positions that were covered in the first budget workshop—an additional school psychologist and a high school counselor.