By Thane Grauel
WESTPORT — The Board of Finance quickly approved the 2022-23 Board of Education spending plan Thursday night, and then endorsed the proposed town-side budget as well.
The overall $233.2 million spending package for the fiscal year starting July 1 now faces review by the Representative Town Meeting.
The schools’ budget for the coming fiscal year is $136,287,710, plus debt service of $7.7 million and several other minor expenditures. The budget, as recommended by the Board of Education in January, is roughly 5.2 percent higher than current spending of $129.5 million.
The finance board’s vote was unanimous and came after an uncharacteristically brief discussion.
“I think that your questions over time, and at the beginning of the cycle, really helped us prepare something that was good for us, to grapple with some of the questions, and good for you to understand our challenges,” Board of Education Chairwoman Lee Goldstein said. “I think it led to a better product. So I thank you for that, for pushing us that way.”
“I feel like it was a better process, led to a better product,” Board of Finance member Nancie Dupier said. “We loved the fact that you circled back, you heard what we said and you addressed it, so we thank you for paying attention …”
The board then voted on the entire town spending plan, which stands at $233,152,942. That amount includes approximately $82 million in town-side spending (including debt service), plus additional allocations for the Westport Library, Aspectuck Health District and Earthplace.
For a detailed look at the 2023-24 budget numbers approved by the Board of Finance on Thursday, click here and here.
Thane Grauel, executive editor, grew up in Westport and has been a journalist in Fairfield County and beyond more than three decades. Reach him at editor@westportjournal.com. Learn more about us here.
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