Driven largely by what he called a $4 million “placeholder” for renovating the Saxe Middle School auditorium, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Bryan Luizzi on Monday proposed a capital budget of $5,564,500 for the 2015-16 fiscal year.
The figure would represent a 140 percent increase over approved capital spending for New Canaan Public Schools in the current fiscal year.
Delivered to the Board of Education on the same night that Luizzi recommended an operating budget—a salary- and benefits-driven total that makes up about 97 of all district spending—the proposed capital budget will get full vetting by the school board prior to its Jan. 20 meeting. Once the Board of Ed settles on its budget requests, they go to the selectmen, finance board and Town Council.
It isn’t clear just what led to the $4 million estimate for the Saxe auditorium or to what extent that figure increased after PCBs were found last month in its paint. District officials could not be reached for comment following Monday’s meeting. The Board of Ed originally, in its five-year capital plan, had budgeted exactly half that amount, or $2 million.
“As you know, last year the Town Council agreed to fund a small amount of seed money in order to do some research and engage the services around an initial plan for the auditorium,” Luizzi said at Monday’s meeting, held in the Wagner Room at New Canaan High School. “That’s why this is just a placeholder and we are waiting for more information.”
Other items included in Luizzi’s proposed capital budget include several noted in a recently completed consultant’s survey of public schools facilities.
Some projects marked as “urgent” by the consultants have been put off to future years, while others have moved up in priority, district officials said.
Items that moved up and, under the superintendent’s budget, would be done in fiscal year 2016, include the parking lot at South School, an estimated $400,000 job. Items that moved to out years though the consultant had listed them as top priorities include replacing underground fuel tanks at Saxe and the elementary schools.