Superintendent presents 2026–27 budget emphasizing paraprofessional benefits, special-education costs and $1.5M bus request

Superintendent (unnamed in the transcript) presented the Newington Public Schools proposed 2026–27 operating budget at a joint meeting with the Town Council on Feb. 4, saying the plan preserves current programs while responding to rising contractual and special-education costs.

The presentation moved forward on the agenda after the board voted to amend the agenda. The superintendent said a previously grant-funded high-school mental-health counselor will move into the operating budget after the grant expired; she credited the position with reducing expulsions for drugs from 17 to roughly one or two per year since the counseling program began.

Why it matters: district leaders said special-education costs have increased dramatically and are a primary driver of the budget. The superintendent said special-ed expenditures have risen about 77% since 2018 and that outplacements — sending students to specialized schools — can cost over $100,000 per student. The district also reported gains on dual-enrollment and language programs and described efforts to close achievement gaps.

Key budget assumptions and offsets: the presentation listed $2.7 million in recurring grant offsets (IDEA, Open Choice and federal/title grants) and an MOU with the town intended to route $800,000 from capital/non-lapsing funds into the operating budget. The superintendent said the district is conservatively budgeting Open Choice reimbursements at ~3% of eligible pupils.

Paraprofessional benefits (PERA): a central ask in the budget is to provide health benefits for paraprofessionals and other support staff, which the superintendent characterized as a competitive retention measure. The presentation stated Newington support staff currently lack these benefits and reported about 25 paraprofessional vacancies (as of Dec. 5) and high turnover. An exit-survey estimate presented by the district suggested 70–80% of current support staff would take benefits if offered. Administrators said offering employee-only plans (not family coverage) would add roughly $1.6 million to the ask, while trimming certain bonuses and some building-sub costs could offset part of that amount.

Bus-replacement capital ask: the district described a 'bubble' in the bus fleet, with 31 vehicles reaching end-of-life over the next four years. The superintendent and CFO proposed $1.5 million in the capital plan to 'flatten the bubble' by purchasing roughly nine buses (the presentation cited an average bus cost of about $157,000) and spreading purchases across multiple years. They said waiting would concentrate and likely increase costs.

Council and board questions: councilors and board members pressed for detail on whether raising hourly rates alone would retain paraprofessionals; administrators said pay raises alone were not decisive and that benefits were the primary retention driver in exit interviews. Councilors also asked about electric buses; the superintendent and CFO said electric vehicles present infrastructure and cost challenges now and may not be feasible in the near term.

Next steps: administrators agreed to provide follow-up materials, including a historical chart of the non-lapsing fund and more detailed bus-replacement schedules and cost assumptions. The board must adopt a budget by Feb. 25 and will present to the Town Council on March 10.

Representative quotes from the meeting include: “Since the grant came into effect in 2023, '24, we've gone down from 17 students getting expelled for drugs to 1 to 2 per year now,” and “We are the only state district in the state of Connecticut whose support staff do not have benefits” (both from the superintendent's presentation). The board did not vote on the operating budget at this meeting; board and councilors continued the Q&A and requested additional documentation.