Bristol Board Of Education Accepts Proposed Budget

By Dean Wright, The Bristol Press

March 8, 2022

The Board of Education accepted Superintendent Dr. Catherine Carbone’s proposed budget for the fiscal school year 2023 of $124,328,000, a 2.2% increase over the prior year.

Budget totals included bargaining unit obligations of $2,203,191, an increase of around 1.81% from last year. Employee benefits were lessened by $1,145,230, a decrease of around 0.94% from last year. Professional and other services were listed as being $831,620, an increase of roughly 0.68% from last year. Transportation costs had $779,291 earmarked, a 0.64% increase.

The tuition budget was lessened by $600,304, a decrease of 0.49%. School supplies and materials also dropped in cost by $130,001, a 0.11% decrease. The district is anticipating less revenue at $282,846, a 0.23% decrease. Requested new positions are budgeted to cost $954,340, a 0.78% increase from the previous year.

Bargaining unit obligations have been offset by $500,000 for anticipated retirements as the district transfers into the new fiscal year, BPS Director of Finance and Operations Jill Browne said. There’s been a general fund savings in the cost of employee benefits, although not as much as originally presented; a calculation error had been corrected.

An increase to utilities has been noted due the anticipated addition of the Bristol Arts and Innovation Magnet School. A new transportation contract has resulted in a slight percentage increase over previous years as well. School supply costs were able to be lessened as financial burdens were shifted to grant sources. BAIMS staff additions have also resulted in some new costs.

The general budget is impacted by the additional BAIMS staff, as well as 1.5 special education teachers and two on-track coordinators. The new bus contract as well as school boundary redistricting mapping and new utilities costs around $1,908,631.

Budget offsets and grant projections totaled around $12,330,919. Alliance grant additions allowed the addition of one social worker, two behavior intervention specialists, five campus climate and safety supervisors and one special services administrator. ESSER ARP funds are being used for HVAC upgrades at Chippens Hill Middle School and Ellen P. Hubbell Elementary School. The same source of funding is further being used for various maintenance and health and safety needs as well as site work and increased surveillance camera presences at district high schools.

“Costs to the general fund would be significantly higher if we did not strategically and thoughtfully plan for moving pieces here. The closing of Edgewood a year down the road, shifting a number of staff within the middle grades to best utilize our staff across these middle grad programs and maximizing grant sources to best meet the needs of our scholars and our district,” Browne said of coming changes with the BPS reimagining plan.