Ellington Ed Board OKs $45.1M budget
Feb. 6—ELLINGTON — The Board of Education has approved a $45.1 million budget for 2023-24, an increase of $2.1 million, or 4.89%, over this year.
The budget will now be presented to the Board of Finance for its approval.
The request represents a $210,250 reduction from Superintendent Scott V. Nicol's proposed $45.3 million budget, an increase that would have been $2.3 million, or 5.38%.
About one-third of the cuts came from more aggressive stances on reserve balances in self-funded dental and medical benefit programs, Nicol said.
The budget approved by board members also reduces the number of additional elective classes that will be offered at Ellington High School.
It's a long budget process and this is just the first step for the Board of Education, Chairwoman Jennifer Dzen said during the meeting last Tuesday, adding that the board will continue to look for ways to save money and collaborate with the Board of Finance.
After Nicol's proposed budget presentation Jan. 18 and a workshop on Jan. 21, the finance subcommittee held two meetings where members discussed possible cuts.
Finance Committee Chairwoman Liz Nord said members conducted a comprehensive, line-by-line review of Nicol's budget.
"We did our best to limit cuts in areas that do not affect programs," she said. "With high inflation in accounts that have been held flat for years, there's not a lot of room to go without affecting programs."
The board has directed Nicol to continue to look for savings.
During the Jan. 31 discussion on balancing the needs of the community and the schools, Nicol pointed to the low per-pupil expenses and the district's thin staffing model as part of the board's challenge.
According to the state's Accountability Index, which compares spending per pupil with standardized test scores, Ellington in 2021-22 had the third highest return on investment in the state with its $16,162 spent per pupil.
Nicol said the low per-pupil costs and thin staffing don't give the board a lot of room to cut without affecting programs or passing costs on to families through higher fees, such as pay-to-participate athletics, field trips, and classroom supplies.
He said other parts of the budget process are not yet known, including projected state revenues, fund balance projections, and the town department budgets.
The board and administration will present the budget to the Board of Finance on March 8. There will be a public hearing on the entire budget on April 11.
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