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District presents 2025–26 operating budget with proposed 8.5 FTE reductions tied to enrollment and attrition
Summary
Business manager and superintendent staff outlined the district’s sustained and strategic budget requests totaling about a 3.86% increase and described targeted staffing reductions driven by enrollment declines, retirements and contractual changes that together total about 8.5 full-time equivalents (FTE).
Wallingford School District staff presented a proposed 2025–26 operating budget that combines a sustained-services request and strategic requests into a full request the presenters said is about a 3.86 percent increase over the current year. Business presenter Mr. Barone walked the Special Operations Committee through the workshop workbook sections covering district staffing, the sustained budget, strategic items and the waterfall plan.
Barone summarized the sustained-services request (section 3A) at roughly $4,369,600, about a 3.726 percent increase, and strategic requests (section 3B) totaling $157,900 (about 0.134 percent). Combined (3C) the staff’s initial full request came to about 3.86 percent. Barone described assumptions and standard governmental accounting categories (personnel, benefits, purchased services, supplies and capital) used to build the request.
Superintendent and central-office staff described targeted staffing changes to achieve approximately 8.5 FTE in reductions through attrition and contract changes rather than immediate layoffs. The reductions described by staff in public remarks included: - One 1.0 FTE prekindergarten contracted position (one-year position not recommended to continue). - Two 1.0 FTE elementary classroom positions (net decrease) tied to lower enrollment. - 1.5 FTE of elementary special-area staff (across the district) identified by staff as a consolidation of underutilized teaching sections; staff said this will be managed by scheduling and shared assignments so class offerings are preserved to students. - Two middle-school retirements that staff do not plan to refill, and one contracted middle-school position for sixth grade this year that staff do not recommend continuing next year. - A change in central office: staff proposed converting an assistant-superintendent personnel position to a director of human resources role (staff estimated savings of $29,743) and noted that administrative evaluation duties now performed by that assistant superintendent would shift to other central-office leaders.
Staff emphasized the changes reflect enrollment trends and scheduling efficiencies. They said the step-teacher program (interventions/step) will continue, and that cuts are structured to avoid reducing required student services. Committee members pressed staff for further details on how shared special-area staffing would be scheduled and how travel/time would be handled when staff split assignments between schools. Staff committed to follow-up details and to send a written summary of the proposed 8.5 FTE adjustments.
Ending: The committee did not take a formal vote at this workshop; staff said they would circulate detailed FTE and scheduling clarifications and continue budget discussions at future meetings.
