North Branford's education board is seeking a proposed 2022-23 school budget of $33,937,673.89 which represents an annual increase of $1,501,959.89 or 4.63 percent over the current budget of $32,435,714.

The Board of Education (BOE) voted unanimously at its Feb. 3 budget workshop to support the proposed budget presented by Superintendent of Schools Scott Schoonmaker, selecting it over a "status quo" budget option with a 3.56 percent annual increase that would maintain all current educational programs and service all contractual costs and benefits.

Major drivers of the BOE-recommended budget increase of 4.63 percent include contractual costs .of $669,141.01 for salary increases and $293,047.80 for benefit increases; totaling $962,188.81 or 2.97 percent of the annual budget increase. All other increases in the BOE-backed operating budget add up to $539,771.08; which makes up 1.66 percent of the 4.63 percent annual increase.

Also on Feb. 3, at the recommendation of BOE chair Shawna Holzer, and with a motion by vice-chair Marcey Onofrio, the BOE unanimously recommended a proposed 2022-23 schools' capital expense budget of $394,450; with the caveat the Town Council could commit to reappropriate approximately $84,360 in left-over funds from projects completed this year in order to reduce the BOE's 2022-23 requested capital budget by that amount.  The funds the BOE seek to have reappropriated by the council include approximately $60,000 left from a school cooling tower project and $24,000 from a first phase installation of ventilator units.

Capital items in the BOE's $394,450 ask include $184,450 to complete the second phase of installation of unit ventilators at Totoket Valley Elementary School (TVES); $60,000 for lighting upgrades at TVES (net cost $100,000 with a $40,000 rebate); and $150,000 for paving to improve areas at TVES and Jerome Harrison Elementary School.  The BOE struck a fourth capital item proposed in the budget, seeking maintenance improvements to North Branford Auditorium seat upholstery, woodwork and some flooring for which costs had not yet been determined.

The BOE's recommended 2022-23 operating and capital budgets will next be transmitted to the Town Council for review as part of the annual budget process. By state statute, the council is authorized to change the BOE's proposed capital budget by adjusting its bottom line (not by line item); while not decreasing the budget to a point below the currently-approved schools' budget. The Town Council does have the authority to adjust the schools' capital budget by item.

By the Numbers

Costs for school employee benefits next year (health insurance, employer share of Social Security/Medicare, accrued sick and severance payments, pension contributions, life insurance, unemployment and worker's compensation) account for 15.56% of the total 2022-23 budget request, or $5,279,732.  While the district is estimating an 8 percent increase on CT State Partnership 2.0 health insurance costs; due to decreases in the cost of life insurance and estimated pension contributions, the overall increase to the benefit line is 5.88 percent.

At $6,314,356.58, the Special Services accounts make up 6.13 percent of the proposed budget. Special services include salaries and all program expenditures and show an increase of $364,517.58 over the current year. Also part of Special Services is a new line item of $23,500 for estimated utility and facility expenses at the district's newly-opened Augur House 18-to-22-year old student transition program space. Another expense in Special Services is outplaced student tuition costs, which have been budgeted at $1,849,424; an estimated increase of $60,600 or 3.39 percent over the current year.

North Branford's overall enrollment numbers are projected to decrease by 26 in 2022-23, going down from this year's number of 1586 to a projected number of 1560. An effort to increase manufacturing education opportunities in schools including NBHS may assist in diverting some students considering leaving the district for those options at schools elsewhere, Schoonmaker noted to the BOE on Feb. 3. One of the 2022-23 goals the budget outlines for the district includes exploration of a manufacturing initiative through collaboration with state community colleges and the CT Manufacturing Association.

Other goals for the district outlined in the proposed budget include increasing student achievement with a focus on English Language Arts (ELA), math and science; improving Tier 1 – universal instruction; improving the Multi-Tiered Support System (MTSS) for improving academic and behavioral achievement; and continuing to explore, expand and improve STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) opportunities and instruction for grades PreK-12.

Priorities in 2022-23

Priorities of the 2022-23 budget include expanding access to high quality preschool programming; maintaining effective class sizes at all levels of instruction; fully funding ongoing training, supplies and consumables for the newly-implemented Illustrative Mathematics Program; fully funding ongoing training, supplies and consumables for Next Generation Science Standard (NGSS)-aligned science programs; continuing use of digital resources first implemented during distance learning but determined essential in instruction delivery (such as Screencastify, Seesaw, Quizzes, Padlet); continuing use of digital instructional supports and progress monitoring resources (such as Achieve 3000, i-Ready, ALEKS & Learning A to Z).

Priorities for the district in 2022-23 are to develop guaranteed and viable standards-based PreK-12 curricula aligned with the "Vision of the Graduate" program and in compliance with state and federal mandates; provide 21st century facilities and resources which support Tier 1 (high quality) instructional practices; promote academic and social development and well-being; ensure a safe and secure learning environment for all students and staff; collaboratively develop and implement a comprehensive multi-tiered Support System (Tier 1, 2 & 3) to address the needs of all students; and to design and implement a comprehensive teaching and learning system.

A PDF version of the North Branford Public Schools proposed budget can be view at www.northbranfordschools.org