Darien Board of Education presents fiscal 27 budget, public hearing hears broad support and a modest savings from retirements

The Darien Board of Education on Thursday held a public hearing on the superintendent’s proposed fiscal 27 budget, which Superintendent Dr. Byrne said would raise the district’s spending from $125,760,223 in fiscal 26 to $130,640,433 in fiscal 27, a 3.88 percent increase.

Why it matters: The proposal outlines personnel, program and capital changes the district says are intended to support its strategic goals, with community members and RTM representatives largely praising the process and supporting targeted additions while urging careful follow-up on past cuts.

Budget overview and personnel changes Dr. Byrne said the proposed budget was built around 10 operating standards and careful trade-offs. "Our current budget, the fiscal year 26 budget, is $125,760,223. We are proposing for fiscal 27 a $130,640,433 budget, which is an increase of 3.88%," Dr. Byrne said.

The superintendent described instructional additions that include five elementary instructional coaches, one teacher at Henley School, one teacher at home school, one special-education teacher at Middlesex, and 1.2 psychologists at the ELP program. Noninstructional changes cited were a 1.0 FTE public information coordinator, retention of a 0.33 FTE wellness coordinator, and two additional student transportation drivers to support special-education routes. Dr. Byrne also described reductions driven by enrollment and staffing needs, including a decrease of one world language teacher at Middlesex and reductions at Darien High School totaling 1.2 FTE across math, world language and English positions.

Retirement incentive and budget impact District staff reported that 12 teachers have elected an early-retirement incentive. According to Mr. Bridal, that incentive would reduce the fiscal 27 budget by $460,511, lowering the proposed increase from 3.88% to 3.51% and producing an estimated new total of $130,179,009.22, figures reported on the record.

Capital projects and timing Dr. Byrne outlined the district’s capital slate, reporting a district total given in the presentation as "1.91555" and saying much of that investment would go to asphalt and blacktop work for parking lots and the high-school oval. The administration said it will return to the Board in spring with educational specifications and more detail for an evaluated facility that has been under review since last summer. Dr. Byrne also reviewed the schedule for approval, noting a special board meeting the coming Thursday when the board hopes to vote on the proposed budget and a follow-up RTM date on May 11.

Public comment: broad support with specific concerns Several members of the public and RTM representatives spoke during the hearing. Curtis Butler, an RTM member and education-committee member, praised the budget process and the district’s special-education services, saying, "We could not be happier with the commitment of this special education department to our daughter who has significant needs." Jan Raymond, a former board member now on the RTM, called the process "exciting" and said she had not seen a budget approach like this before.

Crystal Hill, co-chair of CVSP and a PTO leader, said parents "strongly support the proposed budget" and specifically urged approval of the five elementary instructional coaches and the communications coordinator while noting continuing parent concern about last year’s reduction in elementary instructional aides. Paul Hendrickson, a resident and former business manager, and Peter Orfano, an RTM finance-and-budget committee member, also expressed support and praised transparency.

Board direction and next steps Following public comment the Board discussed next steps and, by consensus, said it would apply the reported early-retirement savings to the proposed fiscal 27 budget prior to the Thursday vote. No formal board vote on the budget took place at this meeting. The chair said members will consider the adjusted figures at the upcoming special meeting.

The meeting concluded with a motion to adjourn moved by Dave and seconded by Bill; the roll-call vote was not recorded in the transcript.

What’s next: The Board is scheduled to meet again on Thursday for a vote on the proposed budget and to return to RTM for its review on the date noted in the presentation.