New Canaan officials review $114.2 million school budget; no vote taken

New Canaan school leaders on Feb. 11 presented a proposed $114.2 million operating budget for fiscal 2025–26 — a 4.67% increase over the current year — and described a small net staffing change, ongoing efforts to lower operating costs and several capital requests; no formal vote on the budget was taken at the meeting.

The presentation was led by Dr. Lutzky, who said the budget request reflects the district’s goals for instruction, safety and stewardship and is “an investment in our shared future.” He and school finance staff described the request as a resource plan that funds salaries and benefits — which the presentation said account for more than 82% of the district’s operating budget — and targeted program investments.

District staff told the Board of Finance and assembled board members that the proposed total operating request, including internal service funds, increases the town’s school appropriation from about $109.1 million to $114.2 million, a change staff quantified as $5.1 million or 4.67 percent. Sean, identified in the presentation as the district’s director of finance and operations, walked through the main drivers: salary and benefit increases (the single largest dollar driver), higher projected health-claim stop-loss costs, and contract-service and textbook/license needs that have risen after pandemic-era purchases aged out.

The superintendent outlined a net staffing increase of one full-time equivalent. The budget would add two positions — an elementary classroom coach and a high-school math interventionist — while a one-year grant-funded position sunsets, resulting in a net +1 FTE. Dr. Lutzky and finance staff said the classroom coach model expands in‑house professional supports for non-tenured teachers and instructional transitions; the math interventionist role was described as a push‑in/drop‑in support to help students doubling up on math and those who need targeted remediation.

District…