Superintendent of Schools Dr. Bryan Luizzi on Monday night proposed a New Canaan Public Schools spending plan of $118.2 million for next academic year.
The figure represents an approximately $4.5 million or 3.94% increase over current spending.
Within the proposed operating budget increase, the single largest change is in salaries, up approximately $3.5 million, or 4.88%, over total salary costs projected for the current fiscal year. At about $98 million, salaries and benefits make up 82.8% of all operating costs in the proposed budget, Luizzi told members of the Board of Education at their regular meeting, held in the Wagner Room at New Canaan High School and via videoconference. (Within the 3.94% year-over-year increase, 85% represents salaries and benefits, he said.)
“It’s important to note that the majority of our budget is dedicated to staff,” Luizzi said.
He added: “The budget itself is an investment. Some people think of the budget as an expense. This is an investment. It’s an investment in all of what it takes to get the outcomes we’re getting with our kids, and to create schools and communities where our kids want to be. Places where they thrive, places where they feel successful, they feel cared for and loved, they feel challenged but supported along the way. In this budget, we have some core commitments. It’s that balance of efficiency with excellence. We strive for excellence in all of what we do, and we want to do it efficiently.”
Other categories that make up 14% of the projected 3.94% rise in operating costs under the superintendent’s budget include contracted services ($202,277, up 12.67% over current spending), property services ($175,478, up 3.23%), purchased services ($147,930, up 1.33%) and supplies ($74,818, up 5.07%). (Luizzi noted that those costs also are broken down in budget materials by “function,” including individual schools.)
Here’s a look at per-pupil spending in nine high-performing districts in Fairfield County, using data that the state relies on to calculate districts’ excess cost reimbursement grants:
Per-Pupil Spending
Source: NECP 2024-25 data
District Per Pupil Spending
Redding $31,257
Weston $28,973
Greenwich $28,971
Westport $27,715
Easton $26,374
New Canaan $26,345
Darien $26,242
Ridgefield $25,332
Wilton $24,987
The per-pupil figures factor in donations, such as for The Dome at NCHS and coaches supported by the All Sports Booster Club, Luizzi said.
“So when we have the SRO’s [school resource officers] across the buildings, those are in the police budget, but at the end of the year when we do the accounting and the audit with the state, the cost is moved over into our budget,” he said.
Luizzi added that the support is “a great measure” of what it takes to educate a child in New Canaan as well as “what the community puts toward that educational experience for kids.”
The superintendent’s proposed budget anticipates a total staff change of +1.53 full-time equivalents or “FTEs.” That includes a request for one K-8 science coordinator “and that is a teacher leader, most likely someone who is currently working in the district who would move into that role, and lead our curricular efforts K-8 and be a close partner with the high school efforts, as well, in science,” Luizzi said.
“We’re looking at a budget that strives to attract and retain top talent,” Luizzi said. “We maintain our class size guidelines. We go through negotiations with our folks regularly, and do that professionally and thoughtfully—always keeping in mind that we have a common goal, which is to continue to create the best school system possible for every child in our district.”
During the presentation, Luizzi: reviewed the district’s mission, values and goals—spotlighting the NCPS “Portrait of a Graduate” project; thanked the Board, school program managers and administration, including Budget Director Patricia Maranan and Director of Finance and Operations Sean O’Keefe; outlined the budget process; listed the schools’ and teachers’ strong rankings; analyzed enrollment projections, with a note that budgeted kindergarten staffing is based on current-year needs; detailed savings in utility in energy costs (such as through switching away from oil in all five schools); and spotlighted student achievements in academics, athletics and the arts.
That last includes: eight NCHS students named National Merit semifinalists and the NCHS Debate Team winning first place in the varsity and novice divisions of a state tournament; four straight state football crowns and a girls cross-country team that won FCIACs this fall; NCHS Theatre earning 13 nominations at 2025 Halo Awards, 15 students honored at CT Regional Scholastic Art Exhibition and NCHS Choral Director Sarah Gleason being named quarterfinalist for 2025 Grammy Music Educator Award. In addition, grades 3 through 8 ranked No. 1 in English Language Arts and Math in the 2025 State Assessment Results.
The superintendent’s fiscal year 2027 budget must undergo review by the Board of Ed itself before it is presented to New Canaan’s funding bodies for their own reviews—the Boards of Selectmen and Finance, and Town Council—for final approval in April, along with other municipal departments’ spending plans. Public comment is invited at each stage.