Ridgefield School Board Approves $98.4 Million Budget

RIDGEFIELD, CT — The Board of Education has voted for a 3.6 percent increase for the 2019-20 schools budget, the Ridgefield Press is reporting.

The proposed $98,423,760 budget adds back $109,000 for six elementary art teachers. The absence of those positions in a previous version of the financial plan was a source of loud contention at various budget meetings in the run-up to Monday night's board vote.

Another $107,159 for elementary office paraprofessionals, who also did not make the first cut, was restored in the final budget proposal. An additional $75,000 was included to begin renovations on the bathrooms at Ridgefield High School.

In the next step in the process, the BOE's budget will be presented to the Board of Selectmen, which will issue a non-binding recommendation to the Board of Finance. The Board of Finance will hold the plan's first public hearing on March 25, before making any adjustments. The BoF's version will then be presented at the annual town meeting on May 6.

For more, see the Ridgefield Press.