By NEIL ZOLOT
WAKEFIELD - The current Fiscal 2024 School Dept. budget is $50,090,191, an increase of $2,483,114 (5.22%) from the Fiscal 2023 budget of $47,607,077. School Superintendent Doug Lyons called “direct student services and settling contracts” his priorities in formulating the budget. “The need to hire and retain highly qualified staff to meet the…