Bethel $49.5 Million Schools Budget To Go Before Finance Board

BETHEL, CT — The Board of Selectmen will present the 2021-22 proposed budget for Bethel Public Schools to the Board of Finance on Tuesday evening, after approving the spending plan last week.

The $49.5 million budget proposal represents a 3.09 percent increase over the current spending plan. The spending plan will be augmented by a $1.05 million federal grant.

Salaries and benefits are the proposed budget's primary drivers, comprising 85.6 percent of the total spend. The plan would see salaries go up by $899,090 or 2.81 percent, and benefits increase $628,001 or 7.06 percent.

The proposed salary increases take into consideration an increase in the minimum wage, a bump in pay for staff who obtain additional degrees, and fewer projected retirements.

The overall increase in benefits is $628,001 or 7.06 percent, and the big budget driver overall is the increase in health insurance of 8 percent

The Board of Selectmen will present the proposed budget to the Board of Finance on Tuesday evening for their deliberation.

A public hearing will be held Mar. 22, with the town referendum scheduled for Apr. 20.

You can see the rest of the board of education's proposed budget online here.