Wallingford presents 3.86% central office budget request for 2025–26, separate $3.99M capital ask

Superintendent (identified in the transcript as “Missus Belizzi”) presented the Wallingford School District’s proposed central office budget for the 2025–26 school year at the Operations Committee’s special meeting on Jan. 16, outlining a combined sustained and strategic request of 3.86% and a separate capital request of $3,985,601.

The proposal breaks the request into a sustained-services increase of 3.726 (a $4,097,393 rise), strategic enhancements of 0.134% (about $157,900) and a separate capital package. “Tonight, we are here, for us to present or for me to present the, proposed central office budget for the 20 25 20 26 school year,” the superintendent said while opening the presentation. The capital list includes boiler replacements, elevator replacements and other large facilities projects that the district identified as potentially bondable.

Why it matters: the budget request funds health insurance, transportation, utilities and position changes the district says are tied to enrollment trends and an anticipated relocation. District staff told the board they are predicting a 10% increase in health insurance costs (an increase the presentation places at about $1 million, to a $15.6 million total for health insurance) and a $1 million increase for transportation, bringing transportation costs to roughly $8.5 million under the plan. The proposal also includes a $467,000 contingency and a 2% fund balance of about $1.6 million.

Key drivers and program changes explained in the presentation include: a projected district decrease of 8.75 FTE teaching positions (a projected $804,000 savings), a net reduction of two paraeducators ($48,000), 14 certified staff retirements (projected $551,000 in savings) and severance-benefit costs estimated at $365,000 for certified staff and $142,000 for non‑certified staff. The budget assumes a 3% electricity rate increase and notes the district will no longer be able to use a one-time $677,000 electricity credit that expires in 2025–26.

Staff proposed several specific strategic enhancements: hiring a full‑time district plumber/boiler attendant (salary and benefits estimated at $83,400), a part‑time maintenance assistant for bid and project support ($30,000), air‑conditioning or cooling for the press boxes at Mark T. Sheehan High School and Lyman Hall High School (estimated $12,800 each), and extending Securly e‑hall pass coverage to middle schools. The presentation also proposes off‑season coaching stipends (presented in the packet as $12,000).

The district plans to begin charging tuition for typical peers in preschool for the 2025–26 school year; staff said preschool students who require special‑education services must continue to be provided a free appropriate public education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The packet included projected preschool tuition income and said the estimated tuition revenue would support three teachers and 10 paraprofessionals.

Enrollment and special‑education markers were highlighted as context for staffing and program changes. The presentation showed a projected overall enrollment decline for 2025–26, a roughly 17‑student variation in special‑education totals, an increase in 504‑plan students (from 437 to 516), an increase in multilingual learners, and an increase in students eligible for free or reduced‑price lunch to 1,768 (up from 1,723 the prior year).

On facilities, the packet anticipates costs tied to a planned relocation: Wallingford Adult Education, the Wallingford Transition Academy and central office are scheduled to move into the 4 Fairfield Boulevard site in summer/fall 2025; the district says it will add one full‑time custodian and budget annual utilities for that location (presented as an additional $109,000 to operations for the transition year). The capital request totals $3,985,601 and lists boiler replacements at multiple schools and elevator replacements at Dag Hammarskjold Middle School and Mark T. Sheehan High School among the largest items.

Board members’ questions focused on specifics rather than votes. Topics during Q&A included recent fluctuations in adult education graduation rates; whether gate/admission receipts cover police coverage at sporting events (staff said those receipts go into student activity funds and are used for event support); the geographic and contractual scope of preschool tuition charging; why a full‑time plumber/boiler attendant is needed; how relocation costs and rent overlap during the transition year; and the composition of the “other services” category (staff said transportation and tuition are the largest components). No formal motion or vote was taken at the meeting.

Next steps: the board’s preliminary approval is due by March 1, the mayor issues a recommended town budget by April 1 (per the town charter process discussed in the meeting), and the presentation materials and a budget book will be distributed to board members and posted on the district website. The superintendent said staff will circulate the budget presentation and a Google Form for feedback to families and staff.

The presentation and public questions will continue at the Operations Committee’s next in‑person meeting; the packet and supporting documents the superintendent referenced will be made available to the board and posted online before that meeting.