By Linda Conner Lambeck

WESTPORT — The Board of Education last week set the stage for its 2024-25 budget proposal weighted down by rising health-insurance costs, approved a new contract secretaries, and said goodbye to another one of its members.

Health-care costs causing budgetary ills

If it weren’t for health-care costs, school district officials say they could foresee a 3 percent increase in the the budget taking shape for the 2024-25 fiscal year.

“The headwinds are profound,” Supt. of Schools Thomas Scarice warned the school board’s meeting last week at Staples High School.

So much so that district officials, perhaps with the blessing of town finance officials, are talking of addressing the price tag for health-care costs separately from the rest of the new budget.

The size of the insurance cost increase for district employees has not yet been set, but it is said to be “significant.” The district recently solicited Requests for Proposals to investigate its options. It has also asked an insurance consultant to develop a self-insured model to consider, officials said.

Elio Longo, the district’s chief financial officer, said health-care costs represent about 15 percent of the total education budget and will be the most volatile component for fiscal year 2025. 

“If we remove the annual increase in health care can stay pretty stable,” Longo said.

Longo said when school board members receive a daylong budget presentation on Jan. 5 in the basement of Saugatuck Congregational Church, it will include mitigation strategies proposed to absorb some of the increase.

The district this year has a $135,287,710 operating budget, a 5.24 increase over the year before.

Scarice said central office has a list of personnel requests from building and department heads that will likely be kept outside of the final recommendation. Some will be presented to the board to explain their value, Scarice said. One or two additional staffers in the area of special education might be required, he added.

Board Chair Lee Goldstein said she once again will meet with the Board of Finance to talk about health-care costs and that a task force may be in order to deal with the issues.

Secretary pact OK’d

On a 6-0 vote, the school board approved a tentative agreement with the Westport Association of Educational Secretaries, United Public Services Employees Union.

Assistant Supt. John Bayers said the three-year contract, which covers 38 positions, is retroactive to July 1, 2023.

Members will see general wage increases of 1.25 percent in the first year; 2.75 percent for members at the maximum step. Total increase will amount to 11.14 percent and cost the district $279,336 over the three years. The new contract also includes some technical changes and language clarifications.

Bayers called the agreement fair.

From board member to superintendent

For the second time this month, the board said goodbye to a member — this time, Christina Torres, a Democrat who announced her resignation effective Jan. 1.

Torres, an assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction for the Mount Pleasant Cottage School District in Westchester County, N.Y., was recently named its superintendent. The district serves students in kindergarten through 12th grade in two schools and primarily serves students with emotional disabilities, according to its website.

In his 12 years as a superintendent, Scarice said he has served Boards of Education with between 50 and 60 members. Torres is the first to not only be a fellow central office administrator, but now a superintendent, he said.

“I am going to miss you a ton,” Scarice said.

Board Secretary Neil Phillips called Torres a calm voice of reason and an effective colleague.

“I am saddened by your departure from the board, but happy for your well-deserved career move,” he said.

Board Vice Chair Dorie Hordon said she, too, was sorry to see Torres leave.

“Though we might not always agree we were able to have a sense of humor about things,” Hordon said.

Goldstein said she would miss Torres’ insight and analysis.

“You always get us to better work,” Goldstein said.

Torres said her two years spent on the board since her 2021 election gave her a new insight into what it’s like to be “on the other side of the table” at board meetings.

“I will miss it,” said Torres.

Freelance writer Linda Conner Lambeck, a reporter for more than four decades at the Connecticut Post and other Hearst publications, is a member of the Education Writers Association.