The budget was central to the discussion at the January 22, 2024, Board of Education (BOE) meeting. With the shadow of last year’s budget process still looming, Superintendent Steven A. Moccio said he wanted to proactively present the budget to voters and help educate the public. With that in mind, he presented two sets of (very preliminary) numbers. One showed what it would cost to continue doing exactly what the school currently does. The other shows a preliminary budget that addresses some of the “wants” that the district would like to be able to provide.
A 3.57% increase is required to meet contractual obligations and mandated services. That represents almost $1.1 million more than last year’s school budget. On the other hand, the preliminary budget requests represent an overall increase of 5.52% or more than $1.67 million. With this larger increase, Moccio hopes to be able to do things like hire a pre-kindergarten teacher for West Stafford School, a physical education teacher for the high school, and a part-time world language teacher. At the end of last year's budget debacle, the district lost more than 20 full-time positions.
On top of that, if the preliminary budget is approved, it would allow for repairing and replacing equipment like heating units or a fire panel that lets emergency workers know when a student with disabilities is in an area of refuge during an emergency. Take a look at the full presentation here to see every Moccio included in the preliminary budget presentation. And, as always, you can watch a recording of the entire meeting.
It still falls to the actual BOE to review the budget and decide whether to advance this budget or make cuts. With that in mind, Moccio asked if there was a percentage increase the board would be comfortable signing off on. While the individual members were reluctant to commit to a number, Chair Sara Introvigne-Kelly indicated that she had polled the BOE members, and even though the Budget Committee was suggesting staying within 3-5%, the board members were averaging 3-4%.*
Mike Delano said, “I’d like to say get us to a responsible number.”
During the public comment session, former candidate for BOE, James Greene, suggested the BOE reach out to State Senator Jeff Gordon, and Representative Kurt Vail to talk about the unfunded mandates at the state level that ultimately impact school budgets at the town level.
Former BOE Chair Laura Lybarger also spoke during the public comment session, pointing out that all budgets are just estimates. “One student can come to town and blow the budget,” she said.
Superintendent Moccio has asked the BOE to approve the budget by February 26, 2024, so it can be presented to the Board of Finance (BOF) at the BOF meeting on March 4.** Expect to see changes as that evolves. The first public budget hearing will be on March 13.
*This article originally said, "Chair Sara Introvigne-Kelly indicated 3-4% increase would be reasonable."
**This article originally said, "The BOE must approve the budget by February 26, 2024, so it can be presented to the Board of Finance (BOF) at the BOF meeting on March 4."
BOE Chair Sara Introvigne-Kelly wrote in to clarify and I have corrected the issues. For the sake of clarity and transparency, here is her correction:
I am writing to you on behalf of the Stafford Board of Education. In your recent article, Budget Season Begins for Board of Ed, you incorrectly stated that I indicated a 3-4% increase would be reasonable. This information is not accurate as I did not commit to a percent or range that was approved by the Board. I did share that I had reached out to Board members and we were averaging around 3-4%. I recognized the Budget Committee recommendation of 3-5% and suggested we stay in the recommended range or the 3-4%. I then asked for Board input on the range of 3-5% or 3-4%, and a consensus was not established after Mr. Delano’s concerns. I stated the Board would like time to review the materials before giving Mr. Moccio a specific percent. I would like to request this information be corrected in the article. Neither the Board or myself provided Mr. Moccio with a percent recommendation, he has only received a recommendation of 3-5% from the Budget Committee. Additionally, the Board approving the budget by February 26 is not a must, rather a deadline requested by Mr. Moccio. While sharing information from Board of Education meetings with the community is imperative, this inaccuracy at the beginning of the budget process for the Board of Education is disappointing.