Superintendent unveils $93 million 2025–26 budget; buses, Garfield lot paving and unfunded mandates highlight discussion

Superintendent Dr. Bramlett presented the Newington Board of Education with a proposed $93 million operating budget for 2025–26 on Feb. 5, describing a 6.86% increase over the current year and outlining staffing additions, grant offsets and capital requests. The superintendent said the district plans to rely on $2.7 million in grant funding and to draw on non-lapsing funds to help bridge the budget gap.

The presentation emphasized two capital pressures: a deteriorating bus fleet and the condition of the district's garage/parking at Garfield Street. Lou and Dean Barnes, the district's bus director, outlined a replacement plan that lists the cost of replacing the full fleet at $8,111,000 and described two funding approaches — a straight-line 11-year replacement (about $737,000 per year) or a "bubble" approach that concentrates higher funding in peak years to smooth costs. "The grand total of redoing the entire fleet is $8,111,000 in current cost," Lou said. Dean Barnes and other staff showed photos of undercarriage rust and shared repair details; the district reported about $250,000 in fleet repairs last year.

The facility problem at the Garfield Street lot is central to the bus discussion. Lou said the district received estimates from the town engineer that rebuilding the bus lot and including required stormwater and drainage work would cost "somewhere between 260,000 and $300,000" if packaged with other town work. Dean said the current gravel/dirt surface retains moisture and accelerates undercarriage corrosion; he pointed to recent examples where fuel components and structural elements required costly repairs: "We have a fuel tank that has to be replaced, which is 1 of the pictures. It's $7,000 just for 1." The superintendent and board members discussed whether paving the lot (and eventually an enclosed garage) would extend vehicle life and reduce unexpected repair costs.

On personnel and instructional priorities, the superintendent said the budget seeks to add a bilingual teacher (required where a school reaches a specified concentration of Spanish-speaking students), one FTE school psychologist to replace contracted testing services (currently run at about $50,000), a kindergarten teacher at Green if enrollment requires it, and an expanded pre-K section at Patterson. The budget also includes program expansions — two new high-school courses, an expanded benchmark reading program for pre-K and added instructional minutes for grade 5 math and reading — and security upgrades including blind-spot cameras. "We are recommending a 1 FTE school psychologist," Dr. Bramlett said, noting that current contracted assessments cost the district roughly $50,000 annually.

Dr. Bramlett described the district's funding assumptions: an expected $2.7 million in federal and state grants (Title, IDEA, Perkins and ARP mental-health funds), continued Open Choice reimbursements, and planned use of non-lapsing funds. He said the district projects using $1,000,000 of non-lapsing funds this year and preserving $2,700,000 to offset next year's budget; he warned that overreliance on non-lapsing balances could create a future funding cliff.

Board members and town council representatives questioned alternatives: contracting bus service versus owning a fleet, trade-in strategies and long-term capital planning. Dr. Bramlett said district ownership remains cost-advantageous overall: "We estimate... having your own bus fleet is $750 cheaper per student in over the course of a year," he said. Board members asked for additional analysis, including a 25-year projection comparing a 9-year versus an 11-year replacement cycle and comparative data from neighboring districts. Lou and Dean agreed to provide additional documentation, including inspection guidance and comparisons to other districts, to support the town and board in capital decisions.

The superintendent noted several unfunded or partially funded mandates — Connecticut paid sick leave, HVAC/indoor-air quality requirements and bilingual staffing mandates — that increase ongoing costs. He also highlighted demographic changes (rising special education and multilingual populations) as drivers of program and staffing requests.

Next steps in the timeline: the board will finalize its internal budget by Feb. 26 and present the request to the town council on March 11. Staff agreed to circulate the detailed capital/CIP backup, bus-replacement analysis and answers to specific board and council questions before those dates.