New Canaan finance board cites headcount discrepancy, schedules Thursday vote after heated public comment

The chair of the New Canaan Board of Finance told residents the town still needs $173,000,000 to pay bills and said the board had uncovered a headcount discrepancy that added staff and costs to the New Canaan Public Schools budget.

"We still need a $173,000,000," the Chair said, adding that approved budgets had requested roughly 21 additional staff positions over a prior period but that actual headcount rose by 51. The Chair said that discrepancy added an estimated $2.5 million in salary costs this year and about $10 million over the period under review, and described the issue as a transparency and process problem rather than fraud. The board said it will implement a new headcount-tracking process going forward.

The Board of Finance said it had asked the superintendent to shave about $2 million from a roughly $4.5 million requested operating increase (a net 1.6 percent reduction relative to the requested increase) and will finalize departmental votes at a follow-up meeting Thursday. The board did not take a final budget vote at the meeting.

Why it matters: The Board of Finance provides a lump-sum appropriation to the Board of Education each year. Residents and BOE members said that cuts at the scale discussed would force difficult staffing and program decisions in a district many described as the town's core public service.

Parents, teachers and BOE members made the case for preserving the proposed school budget during a packed public-comment period. Amy Vizzetti, a parent who volunteers in the schools, urged the finance board not to press for larger reductions and said New Canaan's per-pupil spending is in line with peer districts.

"I urge you to preserve that balance by supporting the Board of Education's currently proposed budget in full," Vizzetti said.

Multiple residents warned that further operating cuts could translate directly into layoffs or reduced supports for students with special needs. Jen Potter, a parent of two students with individualized education programs, said the proposed $2 million operating cut would put services at risk.

"Those are the ones that change the trajectory of his life," Potter said, arguing that supports for students with learning differences would be the first to feel reductions.

Board of Education members pressed the Board of Finance for fuller explanation before deeper cuts. Erica Schwick, who identified herself as the BOE secretary and a five-year member, said the combination of the proposed $1.8 million in capital reductions and $2 million in operating cuts amounts to $3.8 million that BOE leaders view as essential to district needs.

Some public commenters framed the debate differently: an unidentified NCPS parent argued that expanding the district's budget would encourage development and named a local developer (Arnold Karp) as part of that concern; others emphasized school safety, citing a capital cut that removes a proposed PA/security upgrade at Saks.

The board and staff also reported non-budget items that affect the fiscal outlook: a finance member said the town's insurance consultant (Joe Spurgeon) reported better-than-expected January results, which may lower projections, and staff said recent capital-book edits reduced capital requests by nearly $900,000.

What happens next: The Board of Finance said it will reconvene Thursday to review department-level numbers (capital and operating) and vote by department. The board invited written input to bofdistribution@newcanaanct.gov and closed the meeting after taking a motion to adjourn.

The meeting record shows the board paused final action to gather additional information and public feedback; the vote on the overall budget will be taken at Thursday's follow-up session.