Danbury superintendent seeks $194 million budget to fund new DHS West campus, hiring and special‑education costs

Dr. Casimero, Danbury School District superintendent, on Wednesday presented a proposed $194,000,000 budget for the 2025–26 school year and described a roughly $34,400,000 increase he said represents about a 21% rise over the current plan. He told the district’s Community Relations Committee the request is driven by rising contractual costs, new staffing tied to a DHS West satellite campus, growing special‑education needs, and transportation and safety expenses.

The budget matters because it funds services for more than 12,000 students, Casimero said, and the district has seen steady enrollment growth alongside rising needs: he said 38% of district students are multilingual learners, 49% of newly enrolling students are second‑language learners, 57% are economically disadvantaged, and special‑education enrollments have risen to about 15%. "If all else fails, these are the 4 or 5 things that we're gonna work on this year and try to do them really well," Casimero said.

Casimero outlined the district’s six strategic priorities — teaching and learning, staff…