Revised Darien School Budget Features $1.2M In Cuts

DARIEN, CT — As part of the budget review process and after looking at efficiencies and prioritization, Superintendent of Darien Public Schools Dr. Alan Addley has come up with a revised spending plan that features $1.2 million in cuts.

Of note, the budget eliminates several full-time equivalent secretarial positions and slashes the robotics program.

Last week, Addley came before the Darien Board of Education to discuss the revised budget. Addley had recommended a budget of about $116 million for fiscal year 2024, a 4.94 percnt increase over the current spending plan of $110.6 million. The revised budget weighs-in now at $114.7 million.

Board Chair David Dineen stressed that the district is facing "a lot of headwinds," and the budget needs to be looked at realistically.

"We will always continue investing and delivering the best education in the state and one of the best education systems in the country. We continue to get that recognition. But we have to be realistic in some of the headwinds that are facing us, and we have to continuously look and see how do we do and deliver what we deliver in the most efficient way," he said, explaining how the board asked Addley to streamline the budget.

Parents and faculty spoke at last week's school board meeting and expressed concerns about what the cuts will mean for students and staff.

Sara Hesselsweet, a biology teacher at Darien High School, spoke against the proposed reduction of the science secretary, who would be replaced by a paraprofessional.

"We understand the decision is a financial one, but the science teachers at Darien High School believe this decision would have an immediate, long lasting, detrimental impact on teaching and learning, and would be an inefficient choice to make with the budget," she said.

Hesselsweet said historically the science secretary position was held by someone with two master's degrees.

Training a paraprofessional would take "multiple years," she said, and reduce the amount of time teachers spend helping students outside of class.

Hesselsweet explained that she will have two children in Darien High School for the next seven years.

"With the reduction and department expertise that would result from the loss of the science secretary position, my children would not have the same quality of science experience that has so long distinguished Darien Schools," she said.

"The substantial amount of time the science secretary spends helping teachers coordinate and prepare our lab experiments is vital to the preservation of high quality science education," Hesselsweet added. "Negative impacts on teaching and learning for a small budget savings is not a worthwhile exchange."

Mark Sheehan, a labor relations representative at United Public Service Employees Union, spoke on behalf of secretaries in the district against the proposed cuts.

"The proposed budget before you calls for further reductions in the secretarial workforce, which has already been cut to the bone by previous reductions," he said. "In 2019, the secretarial workforce for the Darien Board of Education was made up of 37 full-time workers. With the proposed budget cuts here before you tonight, that number will be reduced to 30, a 19 percent reduction in just a few short years, with no reduction in workplace responsibilities."

With regards to robotics, Addley said in a memo to the Board of Education that the administration feels it's a unique club, but given the high cost of materials, competition fees and travel, "we understand the equity issues associated with funding 100 percent of costs from the operating budget."

The administration recommends that field trips, professional development, competition fees and equipment (iPads) be eliminated from the budget and funded through fundraising/donations.

"Initially funded by a grant from the Darien Foundation, the program has been a great success and we are here asking the board to give this program the support it needs to thrive," said Antoinette Cowles, one of the co-chairs for the DHS Parents Association.

Sara Goertel, budget chair for the Council of Darien School Parents, said "cuts do not happen in a vacuum."

"There's concern that some of the proposed cuts by the administration were made under duress and may place additional burden on our already strained teachers and building administration," she said.

Dineen took exception with Goertel's comments, saying he was "disturbed" by her remarks.

"I think words matter," he said. "I think using words like that don't help the conversation around the budget. They're dangerous words. This is a very collaborative approach."

Addley said he made some decisions he did not want to make, but he was charged by the board to go back and reductions where he saw fit.

"There are people who lose positions in this challenge. I don't do that lightly by any means. It's a very difficult choice to have to make," he said. "These are things I don't want to do, if that counts as under duress, I don't know. But I'm coming back in good faith the way the board has asked to bring back recommended reductions."

Addley also outlined decisions in his revised budget that went against what some board members wanted. He said the administration felt funding the American Sign Language course was important, as was prioritizing a wellness center coordinator, and Genius Hour, a program at Middlesex Middle School.

The board’s next meeting will be held on Feb. 14 when the board is scheduled to vote on the budget.

Upon the board’s adoption of its budget, it will then move through the discussion and approval process of the Board of Finance and Representative Town Meeting.