GREENWICH, Conn. — Greenwich Public Schools' superintendent is proposing a 4.47% increase in the district's 2027-28 operating budget, above the 3.71% guideline the town's Board of Estimate and Taxation set last month.

The superintendent presented the plan to the Greenwich Board of Education on Thursday. Board members did not ask questions at the meeting, which was set aside for the presentation. They will question the superintendent and staff in the coming weeks.

The Board of Estimate and Taxation voted on its guidelines Oct. 19. It allowed growth of 3.71%, or about $7.6 million, the superintendent said. That figure includes about $5.5 million for contractual costs, which the district can calculate from its current staff.

But the superintendent said the "intensity of need" across the district's schools has grown. She listed costs the guideline doesn't cover:

• $2.3 million more for special education
• $755,000 for classroom coverage, as the district has had trouble finding substitute teachers
• $500,000 for higher legal expenses
• $380,000 to replace high school students' devices for two grades instead of the usual one

She said those pressures came to about $9.5 million. The district found reductions elsewhere, and the device request was cut to $180,000, she said.

The superintendent did not say what the legal costs are for. She said the district hopes the $500,000 is a one-time expense. Without it, the increase would be 4.23%, which she said is "very close to really where the guidelines were."

Of the $2.3 million special education increase, $750,000 is for out-of-district placements and settlements, the superintendent said. Settlements cover students in private schools that are not state-approved. In some cases, she said, a family moves to Greenwich with an education plan from another state and asks the district to pay private tuition before the child ever attends a Greenwich school.

The special education figure also covers staff added for students the district didn't expect to enroll, $178,000 for special education clerks and one more co-teaching position in sixth grade, she said.

Fewer students, more special education

The district projects it will have 838 fewer students over 10 years. Over the same period, the number of students with disabilities is up 37%, or 358 students, the superintendent said. Students with disabilities now make up 16.3% of enrollment, up from 10.8% in 2016 and still below the state average of 19.1%.

The superintendent said the district has dropped 20 elementary classroom sections since 2019 by not refilling some jobs when teachers retire or leave. Overall staffing is down about 19.6 full-time positions, she said, as jobs shift from general education to special education.

Federal grants such as Title I have not kept up with inflation, she said. They paid for 48.3 positions in 2023 and will cover 29.8 under the new budget.

The board's next budget meeting is Dec. 3 at Central Middle School. The budget goes to the Representative Town Meeting for a final vote in the spring.