Stratford superintendent proposes $127 million budget plan
STRATFORD — Schools Superintendent Uyi Osunde is proposing a $127.9 million operating budget for 2023-24 school year that includes no cuts to the school system’s staff and existing programs.
The proposal, which was unveiled to the Board of Education’s finance committee Monday evening, would represent an increase of $4.8 million over the current budget and would allow the district to hire a handful of new administrators and part-time staffers.
Osunde described the spending request as “a historically low ask” that takes into consideration the budget’s burden on the local tax base while also investing in the school system’s long term health.
“People are working incredibly hard,” he said. “It’s a fiduciary responsibility for this committee
and the board to make sure we put the resources into their hands so that they can do the work that benefits our children.”
Osunde said the largest drivers behind the proposed increase, which if enacted would represent a 3.9 percent jump over the current $123.2 million budget, are the rising cost of insurance, utilities, and labor.
He noted that the district is contractually obligated to spend about $96.9 million on salaries and benefits next year, which would make up about 75 percent of the yet-to-beapproved budget.
Though the district’s enrollment has stayed relatively flat in recent years at about 6,600 students, Osunde said shifting demographics have also put added pressures on school staff and administrators.
For example, the number of English language learners has grown from 4 to 7.6 percent since 2018. The abrupt increase has required district officials to hire additional staff members capable of teaching the diverse student body.
“There is a metamorphosis that has occurred over the last couple of years,” Osunde said. “It invites new programming as we continue to learn about their learning styles and learning needs. It invites new learning for us as a profession in order to be responsive to the learning needs.”
Additions to the budget include the funding to hire deans of students for Flood and Wooster middle schools, as well as an assistant principal for Second Hill Lane Elementary School, the town’s largest elementary school.
Osunde said the proposal would also allow the district to purchase a digital hall pass system for every secondary school and hire safety monitors, scholarship coordinators and math and reading tutors for both high schools.
Notably, the request would restore funding for a full-time nurse who would largely be stationed at one of the town’s two Catholic Schools. Osunde said the nurse could also support the town’s public schools when needed.
The finance committee is scheduled to discuss the proposed budget over the course of three workshops scheduled for each remaining Wednesday in February. If there are no delays, the board could vote to send the request to the Town Council as soon as the end of the month.
In recent years the council has generally approved school budgets that are millions of dollars smaller than the original requests. Osunde’s proposed budget for 2022-23 was $4.3 million larger than the spending plan ultimately approved by council members last spring.
Osunde warned during the committee meeting that board members might find it difficult to trim anything from his new recommended budget and argued the proposal is already fairly lean.
“Transparently, I am not sure where we can cut,” he said. “But I anticipate that we will have some spirited discussions over the next couple of weeks and ultimately reach consensus.”