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New Fairfield, CT: Enrollment going down, "continued growth in special education"


Jan 25, 2024, Norwalk (CT) Newstalk: New Fairfield superintendent's $48.8M budget proposal adds some positions, eliminates others 

 

Superintendent Kenneth Craw is requesting a 5.25 percent increase in education spending for 2024-25 with the goal of addressing academic and mental health needs, as well as advancing academic progress.


“This is a needs-based budget that is fiscally responsible (and) allows our students to continue to grow and thrive in New Fairfield,” Craw said when he presented a $48.8 million spending plan for the coming fiscal year during Jan. 18's Board of Education meeting.

Craw’s proposal includes $310,000 in funding for two additional positions — a school psychologist and high school counselor — to address social-emotional needs in the school district, as well as $150,000 for resources to improve reading performance at the kindergarten through fifth grade levels.

The district’s K-12 enrollment is projected to decrease from 2,070 this year to 2,057 in 2024-25, according to Craw’s proposed budget presentation, which also showed continued growth in special education enrollment with the 362 students enrolled this year reflecting a 13-student year-over-year increase.


“That is significant in a sense,” Craw said. “The needs are still there and the significance of those needs are obviously something we are in tune with planning for.”







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