He said the proposed increase is necessary to maintain services, as well as to accommodate increases in contract staff and the need to add staff to handle the influx of new students.

“Westport was at the top of communities with the largest influx of new residents, most importantly, new families with school-aged children,” said Scarice. “With that comes the challenge of programming and funding this substantial increase in the number of school-aged children. “

The district is expected to have 65 fewer students next year from the 5,345 students currently enrolled, but despite the drop, it’s more than expected, officials said.

“Our world-class faculty and support staff understand this responsibility and welcome the challenge of continuing to deliver nothing less than excellence for our families and our community,” he added.

The district added 6.5 certified teachers this school year to deal with the effects of the pandemic. In fact, some of the key factors in the proposed increase are the retention of these positions and the addition of five special education paraprofessionals to further meet the need.

Scarice said special education enrollment increased from 13.4% of the student body to 14.6%.

Salaries and benefits represent over 80% of the school’s annual budget and include an increase of $ 2.8 million related to contracts.

Total Equipment has the largest budget increase in terms of percentage, at 210.9%, from nearly $ 250,000 in the current budget to around $ 776,000. Purchased services increased 4.2 percent to a total of about $ 2.31 million, real estate services grew 6.3 percent to nearly $ 6.88 million, and the other services area purchased increased 7.3 percent to a total of about $ 12.2 million, according to the budget presentation.

Scarice said the plan includes all the funds necessary to operate a school district of nearly 1,000 employees and 5,280 students slated for the next school year.

“Amid more than two years of disruption and challenges, the annual work of Westport Public Schools and the school board must endure,” said Scarice. “The challenges are obvious, but within and through these challenges are opportunities. “

Scarice said there is no doubt that the infusion of funds at the federal level has helped communities through the dark period of COVID. He said “Westport is no exception. “

He said the budget process started in the fall and had been “deliberate” and “transparent”. District administrators submitted recommendations on October 22. The central office team then met with each administrator for two days in early December, followed by all directors and coordinators on December 16.

With all the demands from district administrators, Scarice said the budget was initially a 5.71 percent increase, but cut it by about $ 2.4 million before presenting his final recommendation to the Council of the education Monday.

Despite the reduction, the proposed budget is still higher than what the Finance Council had hoped for. The school board said in December that FRO members told them they hoped the budget would not exceed a more than 2.5 percent increase from the current budget.

Scarice said the 2022-2023 budget proposal is the first to reflect “the pandemic effect,” while advancing other parts of the district’s agenda.

“Remarkably, during this period, the district has continued to gradually advance work that will only add to the strength of an already renowned and decorated school system,” said Scarice.

“I look forward to further discussions to develop a better understanding of our district’s budget needs,” he added.

The school board will continue to review the budget at a one-day public workshop scheduled for Friday.

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