The Bristol Warren Regional School Committee approved the FY2024 budget on Monday night, which amounts to a total of $58,931,498 and represents a 1.39% increase over last year’s budget.

Locally, Bristol will be asked for a contribution of $29,285,376 — an increase of $522,733 (1.82%) over last year’s allocation. The Town of Warren will be asked to contribute $14,302,480, representing a 3.79% increase over last year, amounting to $522,158 above last year’s allocation. The district projects receiving about $13.8 million in financial aid via the state’s funding formula.

The budget will be deliberated by the Joint Finance Committee during a meeting on Thursday night at Mt. Hope High School. Tara Thibaudeau was the lone vote against approving the budget as presented.

Major drivers of the budget increase include projected increases in pay and benefits for teaching staff, as the union is entering a contract negotiation year. An increase in contractual expenses for transportation and an increase in the cost of providing tuition for students going out of district are other big drivers. Other increases include a smattering of smaller line items, including everything from paying for landscaping for Warren school properties to the effects of inflation on paper and general classroom supplies.

Search for a new CFO is paramount
Superintendent Ana Riley said that the budget had been a challenging endeavor considering the district’s Chief Financial Officer, Tony Ferrucci, announced his retirement late last year, forcing her to take on the role of working with a financial consultant to shore up the end of year projections and make predictions for next year.

“Tony did things a very specific way,” she told members of the budget subcommittee on Monday morning. “And so now it’s like trying to cook a gourmet meal from a photo.”

Riley said that the district has an open posting for a new CFO, which runs through March 17, and they have one potentially interested candidate thus far.

Overall, Riley said that the budget’s modest increase is evidence that the district is in a sound financial state, but reiterated that a permanent CFO needs to be found as soon as possible.

“I think the distinct is financially stable and the fact that we’re only asking for a 1.39% increase demonstrates we’re in a good position,” she said. “We’re in a good place, it’s just not sustainable for me to do two jobs. We have to get a CFO, this is a temporary bandaid and it is not sustainable.”