The Board of Education has approved Superintendent Dr. James Thompson, Jr.’s proposed budget of $53.14 million for the 2023-24 school year – an 8.8% increase over the current-year’s spending plan.
The key drivers of this year’s increases are:
• Out-of-district tuition costs
• Medical health insurance
• Contractual staff salaries
This budget year, Dr. Thompson said, presented significant challenges. The state and federal funding the district received for COVID-19-related expenses has been expended. However, Thompson said, substantive new academic programs launched last year, which resulted from the year-long Portrait of a Graduate Initiative, have been sustained.
Those new programs are:
• The Nest Pre-K program at Laurel Elementary School providing early childhood education to our families.
• A Talented and Gifted program, known as SOAR, for students in Grades 4-8 and using a school-wide enrichment model in partnership with the Renzulli Center at UConn.
• School-to-Career Readiness program to develop partnerships with local organizations, leading to internships and career opportunities for our students starting in Grade 7.
“This budget proposal reflects our commitment to supporting Bloomfield’s overall growth and development,’’ Thompson has said. “This spending plan is an investment in our children’s academic achievement. Excellent schools are the cornerstone of healthy and thriving communities.”
The adopted school board budget will now be presented to the Bloomfield Town Council, which will hold deliberations – and, eventually, vote on an overall town annual budget in May.