Norwalk BOE Approves Superintendent's Recommended Budget

A Message from Dr. Alexandra Estrella, Superintendent of Norwalk Public Schools

Superintendent’s Recommended Budget for FY 2024-25 Approved by Norwalk BOE

Norwalk Public Schools has reached the midway point of the Future Ready For All: 2021-26 Strategic Plan, and we are in the midst of evaluating the progress made so far to fully realize the strategic priorities we established for the district nearly three years ago.

With those priorities in mind, my team and I presented the Superintendent’s Recommended Operating Budget for FY 2024-25 with the intention that this request brings us closer to achieving our goals and taking the actions necessary to execute the strategic priorities.

The Norwalk Board of Education approved the superintendent’s proposed budget on Dec. 19 for $289.1 million. This includes $245.09 million for the General Fund, an 8.2% increase from the previous year, as well as $36.85 million for the Grant Fund and $7.16 million for the School Lunch Fund.

This proposal was intended to maintain the same level of quality service and excellence currently expected by our students, staff and families. The continuation of necessary programs and retention of staff are of the utmost importance.

At the same time, we need to acknowledge the challenges beyond our control such as inflation, which impacts the costs associated with utilities, employee health insurance and out-of-district providers. We must also shift several items back under the local budget that were recently covered with federal COVID-19 relief funds, set to sunset later next year, and the one-time offset of $2.5 million from the city’s American Rescue Plan Act funds facilitated by Mayor Rilling to balance the FY 2023-24 budget.

My team and I look forward to further developing the FY 2024-25 operating budget that will ensure we continue to provide an excellent and equitable education to the children of Norwalk.

Staying Committed to Social and Emotional Learning & Behavior Intervention Support

The most consistent feedback that we hear from our students and families is the need for more mental health supports in our schools. Norwalk Public Schools remains committed to providing social and emotional learning at every level and increasing the presence and efficacy of mental health personnel in our schools.

All students deserve to feel safe and valued, and it is a priority for Norwalk Public Schools that we create a school culture and climate where students can learn in a secure environment. 

Through our behavior interventions, we offer positive behavioral support to students struggling to maintain healthy relationships with the intention of correcting the unwanted behavior by being fair, addressing any underlying issues, teaching the desired behavior, focusing on repairing the harm that was caused, and working together with students, staff and families to maximize student engagement, learning conditions, and outcomes.

Education Is a People Business, Educators Are Our Most Important Resource

Norwalk Public Schools could not deliver high-quality education to our students without a team of dedicated and qualified teachers and staff. As a result, salaries and benefits are and always will be the largest category of every school system’s operating budget. 

In order to provide enhanced educational practices that will make our students academically competitive, our educators must have adequate time to prepare for their classes. This budget addresses increasing planning time for teachers, particularly at the elementary school level, so they have the necessary time to develop and execute the best educational plans for their students.

Nearly 85% of the budget every year goes directly into classroom and school services that benefit our students and provide support to our families. To provide the best classroom experience for our students, our educators need time to craft quality lesson plans, and this budget works to address that need shared by our teachers.

Our schools are working on the thinnest of margins, and the requirement to eliminate more positions due to an unsatisfactory budget will undoubtedly deplete the level of service provided to our students. Still rebounding from one of the greatest stressors ever placed on the American educational system with the pandemic, we cannot continue to pull away valuable resources that our children rely on.

Rising Costs for Specialized Learning & Other Services

A recent spike in student enrollment has brought our student population numbers back to pre-pandemic growth rates. At the same time, we’re seeing more and more students needing specialized services, currently over 15%. Combined with unfunded state mandates and the rising costs of services from out-of-district providers, we’re seeing a higher cost burden on the burden.

Our district is proud to serve many of our students with special needs in their home schools through programs such as STARS, SUCCESS and PINE as well as our 18-22 programming, Next Steps and Project Search. 

Norwalk Public Schools is legally required to provide these special education services to fulfill the needs of a students’ individual education plan (IEP) whether that’s in the district or by an outside provider. Every student deserves to receive an excellent education that will ensure a successful future.

Norwalk Public Schools also saw 300 new multilingual learner students this year, a trend that’s not surprising given MLL students are the fastest growing population in public schools across the country. The district will also have to adapt to the new mandate for kindergarten enrollment, requiring children to turn 5 years old before Dec. 31 in order to start school.

School Lunch Fund

During the pandemic, the federal government reimbursed school districts across the country so they could provide students with free meals. Norwalk Public Schools was able to keep our students fed throughout the pandemic with those funds while also saving funds for future food service needs.

Those reimbursements have sunset, and while we are fortunate enough to qualify for the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), which allows our district to provide free breakfast and lunch to all our students, we still need to pay for a portion of the cost of those meals because of a lower reimbursement from the state.  The district is currently reviewing ways to not only maintain quality meals, but also decrease costs. 

The deficit our school lunch fund is running would be the same if we continued with the traditional system of having families apply for free and reduced meals and families paying for school meals. We believe it is important to provide free meals to all our students, knowing that for some, it may be the only nutritious meal they receive during the day. All students benefit from eating a healthy meal to keep them alert in the classroom and ready to learn and all families benefit from not having to worry about the added expense.

Grant Funds Help But Cannot Supplant

Norwalk Public Schools is fortunate to receive millions in grant funds that go toward supporting various programs throughout the district. Grants make up 13% of our total budget expenses, but the district is limited in how those funds can be spent.

We recently received an incredible $15 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to support the expansion of our magnet programs at three schools in the district. The funds will be dispersed across P-TECH Norwalk, Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy, and Kendall College and Career Academy over the next five years and must be used for the specific purposes defined in the grant award.

Developing a Fiscally Responsible Budget

A great deal of work has already gone into the development of the FY 2024-25 budget to ensure it’s not only fiscally responsible but also provides our students with the educational services they deserve. As always, we remain cognizant of the impact our budget has on taxpayers and the lives of the community.

Moving forward, we hope to see our community engage in the budget process, speaking with their local representatives and adding public comment at city and Board of Education meetings. Your feedback is invaluable, and we are grateful for the support of our teachers, staff, families, students, community partners and elected officials.

Our students are this community’s future and the health of the Norwalk community relies on the health of our school system. We need to invest wisely.