Wallingford board approves superintendent’s nonrenewal list for non‑tenured teachers; accepts one resignation

The Wallingford Board of Education on April 23 approved Superintendent Belize’s recommendation to nonrenew the employment contracts of the teachers named on the district’s nonrenewal list, a procedural action the superintendent said is taken annually under Connecticut General Statutes section 10‑151. The board also voted to accept the resignation of Rebecca Rose, agriculture education department head, effective May 1, 2026.

Superintendent Belize read the nonrenewal recommendation aloud and described the district’s process for notifying non‑tenured teachers. "We have a letter that goes out to all the teachers... it gets handed to them... It could be budgetary," Belize said, explaining that the district issues the notices before final budget decisions are made and that, in many cases, administrators later notify staff that positions will be continued when the budget is finalized.

Board members asked for clarification about the practical meaning of the notices. Board member Reyes said the notices can be unsettling after hearing tributes to longtime staff, and the superintendent reiterated that the letters are procedural and that nonrenewal is not equivalent to a layoff for tenured staff.

The board approved the superintendent’s recommendation by voice vote after discussion. The resignation of Rebecca Rose, who has served in the agriculture education program since 2015 and as department head since 2021, was moved and approved separately.

What happens next: the superintendent will furnish written notice to the affected teachers and respond to any requests for reasons or hearings as provided under Connecticut law. The board did not disclose the names on the nonrenewal list in the meeting transcript provided to the board; the superintendent said teachers have the right to request reasons for the action under state statute.