[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6182620,"mediaKeyId","5103487-313c2e7c554c9d78a053d4ae31f65298","parentId",5103487,"title","Parent warns of overcrowding at Dagg Middle after proposed elimination of temporary teaching position","audioSeconds",5938,"startMs",1325000,"endMs",7263000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5103487-313c2e7c554c9d78a053d4ae31f65298&start=1325&end=7263","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5103487-313c2e7c554c9d78a053d4ae31f65298/thumbnail_1325000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6182620/Connecticut/Parent-warns-of-overcrowding-at-Dagg-Middle-after-proposed-elimination-of-temporary-teaching-position","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6182620-f6dd267856e092b63c1964effc408409/orig.mp4?Expires=1771116456&Signature=SXuNE0t4e21Dz5cFIec0wXfqnTclSDySPX73wzj4asdWmrUmbsuvmV4VxLePPESRbn9hB8bh6MyRqmkQe-H6leODxkNUbftzS9mSzYYGI6NCiwBpvoQUvOpfhF0c0~BEGzlYfkCYU49olwdhD5uKQpaCuAmj6VxQl61udtjqIIriDReB2J7YpCs0JHVJTDznWLPt8yTVrvZvLP~4ni4rlq9-Yo384ZNgo2VJB2YJfaV0WKTIX2CvHHDV1ivyn~3xQoUWu7GPPb-vz9EC2d9dDrqoOq-RXp9aztNJw8ZMH5OEA3rwmbojDnOCsVVTeZFSYNsfLfGLVnuyDAzFZOFx5g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Wallingford School District","date","2025-06-17T14:17:43Z","article","A parent urged the Wallingford Board of Education to reconsider eliminating a one-year temporary position at Dagg Middle School, saying the change will push class sizes above recommended guidelines and directly affect more than 200 students in the incoming seventh grade.

Megan Scotto, speaking during public comment, said Dagg accommodated a large cohort this year by using one five-core-teacher team and one four-core-teacher team. The proposal to revert to two teams of four core teachers, she said, would result in classes “over the maximum recommended limit” and would leave encore classes already oversized. “This elimination of this temporary position does impact over 200 students directly by putting them in overcrowded core sizes,” Scotto said.

Superintendent Belizzi responded in the administrative report by restating the district’s class-size guidelines: kindergarten through grade 2 — 21 students (guideline); grades 3–5 — 23 students (guideline); grades 6–12 — 25 students (guideline). Belizzi said the district monitors enrollment throughout the summer and sometimes adds teachers in August when a “bubble year” demands another section; the superintendent identified Dagg’s incoming seventh grade as approximately 207 students and said that, if needed, the district would consider adding staff prior to the school year.

Board members and staff said they would continue to monitor numbers and that final staffing adjustments are typically made in August as enrollments stabilize. No formal motion was made regarding the temporary Dagg position at this meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Board of Education Meeting - June 16, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","A parent told the Wallingford Board of Education that eliminating a one-year temporary teaching position at Dagg Middle School will cause core class sizes to exceed recommended limits and directly affect more than 200 students; the superintendent said the district is monitoring enrollment and may add staff in August if needed.","taxTitle","Wallingford School District, School Districts, Connecticut","taxId",38279,"location","Connecticut","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6182625,"Board approves limited extension of Colliers contract for communications work; some members voice concern about spending before site located",385,7626000,8011000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5103487-313c2e7c554c9d78a053d4ae31f65298&start=7626&end=8011","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5103487-313c2e7c554c9d78a053d4ae31f65298/thumbnail_7626000.jpg","/articles/6182625/Connecticut/Board-approves-limited-extension-of-Colliers-contract-for-communications-work-some-members-voice-concern-about-spending-before-site-located","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6182625-3125b58b636f8cc52c353a1233f59e73/orig.mp4?Expires=1771116456&Signature=LbllzhFya3f0YgyjFCRmCn1yJTjyTG2Tbq9feEY~uFApSUGZExjox8fFcif9mPLyXmQzbx2HQW0a97Dv2Ig5lG~y57dXVAlw69q4lMPbuiRQSizEmezBkiz00hPq~lm~se1dvMAjuYihkVTZXIlMj0Abmr-erv-1JDZBQtBsiittfKH~Uym5tp7eZFmzfgdXw0DG67ptBCYfWXRQgeMM0aMJ-p8t1d7qRJnbNoJz~NTENSgn7VX3gF6EANg3XDSt~5WNIZZA-h-ctJEF6K62t14RvMxFuOBhtu0pfiAPEgTyqCrezlXRwDry66XkbEEkLW1pBqrPGN0d5yFd-GVmBQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Wallingford Board of Education approved an amendment to extend Colliers Inc.'s scope of services to cover additional communications work, with an allowance not to exceed $17,160 and an hourly rate of $220.

Superintendent Belizzi told the board Colliers’ original contract (from 2023) did not anticipate extra work related to a “10-year waterfall plan” and extensive public meetings; those additional demands contributed to use of the original contract hours. Belizzi asked the board to authorize covering the extension from the district’s unallocated 2% funds.

Board members and commenters raised concerns about authorizing additional consultant spending before a final site is identified. One board member told meeting staff they had received “tons of feedback” from the public opposing further payments until a site is located.

Board member discussion included requests for an accounting of hours billed under the contract. The superintendent said the communication portion of Colliers’ contract had been depleted and that other contract components (for site work) still had budget. She said the district could provide invoices and that the district’s unallocated 2% funds contained approximately $94,854 available to cover one-time expenditures.

Board members approved the contract amendment by motion and vote. The motion passed and the extension will be funded from the district 2% account for one-time expenses. The board directed staff to provide invoice accounting and continue work on site due diligence; the contract extension explicitly covers communications and related consultant support, not site acquisition itself.","The board approved an amendment to extend Colliers Inc.'s contract for additional communications services—an allowance not to exceed $17,160 billed at $220/hour—paid from the district's unallocated 2% funds, amid public and board concern about spending before a site is confirmed.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6182630,"Wallingford board schedules special meeting, aims for July vote on single high school ed specs amid classroom-space dispute",5905,1134000,7039000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5103487-313c2e7c554c9d78a053d4ae31f65298&start=1134&end=7039","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5103487-313c2e7c554c9d78a053d4ae31f65298/thumbnail_1134000.jpg","/articles/6182630/Connecticut/Wallingford-board-schedules-special-meeting-aims-for-July-vote-on-single-high-school-ed-specs-amid-classroom-space-dispute","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6182630-f9a49dec184c23aece07a78c31e1a18e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771116456&Signature=Yr0s0Nnai3aVmRktD3oH9nbH1XEGrmREpYhnm6hNmkYjXAsSHUpMgYINq8~-JKbWX0i63ulXFaMoE25-ZQppGj0iKYuzWZstz5xfMSRZ9H4R1HvkpybM8pKgPVDcIWJCWS8~ukMM1Sbke5RhZFMTlhj9WTcVcUEs8KCRFghVu5SOGk95GksunGKYOS3-xYO0RyFtGirbrfzBC8DLa15Cj3RYGfBdTxbFC629Ju4hcuqHjX2pPIJZ0KVdgdk8S4gN43V8DK6QCKGWWmmrDsh2LZ4~NicMcsbNk5HsQecvh35cc5dsFX5Pi1bfuROrCRNL8twdrZtASGbol-t~wVOSDw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Wallingford Board of Education voted to schedule a special meeting to finish discussion of educational specifications (ed specs) for a proposed single high school and to place a final vote on the ed specs at the board’s July meeting.

The decision follows repeated debate over whether the new design should include shared teacher workspaces or dedicate classrooms to every teacher, and over outstanding site planning work and related costs. Board members said a special meeting would let them focus on the remaining issues without further delay.

Board members and members of the public told the board the choice on shared versus dedicated teacher classrooms is material to teacher morale and daily operations. Mary Beth Dylan, a Wallingford parent who addressed the board during public comment, said the ed specs as presented appeared to prioritize reimbursement rates and cost minimization over instructional space. “How can we spend billions of dollars to build a new state-of-the-art school claiming to bring so many educational improvements just to be designing our school at the bottom end of almost every subject area,” Dylan said.

The board received a written statement from board member Melanie Rosace, who said she opposes the inclusion of shared teacher workspaces as currently proposed and would support an alternative that reduces shared workspace square footage and adds five classrooms. Rosace’s statement was read into the record when she was unable to attend.

Superintendent Belizzi told the board that the district’s status on site identification had not changed since the last meeting. “We are at the same status as where we were at the last Board of Education meeting. And so, nothing new to report at this time,” Belizzi said after the board returned from executive session.

Board members discussed visiting other high schools—both new builds and renovated-to-new projects—to view layouts and programming in person before finalizing their decision. The district identified a short list of schools willing to host visits; board members discussed pairing up so visits would not constitute a full public meeting. Board members also noted that the vocational/technical (AST) program and its ed specs are a separate workstream and will be developed and voted on separately.

The special meeting will be scheduled before the July 28 regular meeting, when the board intends to place the final ed specs vote on the agenda. Several board members urged a quick resolution: one member said they did not want the discussion to prolong further and preferred a special meeting followed by a July vote. Others said they wanted at least some members to tour comparable schools before voting.

The board took the action to schedule the special meeting by formal motion and vote; the motion carried. No changes to the ed specs were adopted at the meeting; the vote to finalize the ed specs was deferred to the July regular meeting.","The Wallingford Board of Education agreed to hold a special meeting to finish discussion of educational specifications for a proposed single high school and to place a final vote on the specs at the regular July meeting, after weeks of debate over shared teacher workspaces, classroom counts and site planning.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Parent warns of overcrowding at Dagg Middle after proposed elimination of temporary teaching position

Board approves limited extension of Colliers contract for communications work; some members voice concern about spending before site located

Wallingford board schedules special meeting, aims for July vote on single high school ed specs amid classroom-space dispute