Mayor: Shelton school enrollment down and per-pupil costs have roughly doubled

Mayor Miguel Loretti told the Board of Aldermen and the Board of Apportionment and Taxation that falling enrollment and rising per-pupil costs are key constraints on the school budget.

Loretti said enrollment in 2005'06 was about 5,767 students and that current enrollment is about 4,455 students, a decline he said amounts to roughly 1,350 students since 2005'06. "Today, in 2025, we have 4,455 kids," he said.

He said the per-pupil cost has increased from just over $9,000 in 2005'06 to about $18,200 in 2025. The mayor tied the increase to overall program costs and health-care expenses that have risen with additional full-time hires.

On staffing, the mayor reported that between June 30, 2025 and August 31, 2025 the district lost 29 full-time Board of Education employees (22 resignations and 7 retirements) and had hired 44 full-time employees since July 1, 2025, for a net increase of about 15 full-time positions for the current school year.

Loretti said education budgets are constrained in part because the district retains the same building footprint as in earlier decades even as enrollment falls, and he said changes to that footprint would be politically difficult. He concluded by noting that some school budget items remain pending until the state budget process is resolved, and that the local budget will be adjusted accordingly before final adoption.

No formal vote or action on the school budget occurred at the meeting; the presentation was informational and next steps depend on board deliberations and state funding decisions.