Southington schools propose $123.6 million budget, citing rising salary, insurance and transportation costs

Superintendent Madanci presented the Southington School District—s proposed fiscal-year budget of $123,614,448 to the Board of Education, saying the figure represents a 6.6% increase over the current year.

The proposal, Madanci said, reflects "a deep sense of responsibility and collaboration" and responds to higher-than-usual salary increases in recent collective bargaining agreements, rising health insurance premiums and the cost of a new transportation contract. He told the board the district had also lost one-time federal pandemic relief dollars: "The ARP ESSER funds are completely exhausted, as of this past December," he said.

Why it matters: The spending plan would affect the town—s tax request and district operations. The budget prioritizes maintaining core programs while balancing new contractual obligations and one-time equipment and project needs.

Key budget drivers and changes

- Salaries and benefits: Madanci said salaries and benefits remain the district's largest cost drivers. The proposed budget reflects recent teacher, nurse, secretary and food-service contract settlements. The superintendent said some negotiated increases addressed prior compression compared with neighboring districts.

- Health insurance: The administration used a conservative assumption in the budget; staff later reduced the health-insurance line by $150,000 as they monitor claims. The self-insurance committee will review updated claims data before final figures are set.

- Transportation: The budget includes costs for a new district transportation contract, special education routes and McKinney-Vento (students experiencing homelessness) transportation. The administration removed three bus purchases and said route consolidation would be required because driver shortages persist.

- Special education and outplacement tuition: Special-education out-of-district tuition is a major pressure. The district had budgeted assuming a 65% excess-cost reimbursement but said the state told them the current reimbursement rate will be 62%. The special-education office identified students who might age out or be returned to in-district programs to limit outplacement tuition. Superintendent Madanci and staff said about 55 students currently account for the out-of-district tuition line.

- One-time projects and equipment: Major projects and equipment requests total roughly $396,000. The administration asked the board to consider seeking one-time funding from the town—s capital process or town bodies rather than rolling all such items into the annual operating budget.

Staffing adjustments and program items

- Elementary prep periods and health: Contract language will provide elementary teachers with a daily preparation period; the district proposed adding five elementary health positions (to combine health and physical education) to accommodate that change.

- Middle school schedule and FTEs: A revised middle-school schedule increases academic contact time and reduces the number of additional hires the district would otherwise need. The administration said the net increase needed in the operating budget is 2.4 full-time equivalent positions rather than the six positions that would have been required without the scheduling change. Madanci emphasized the schedule change is intended to restore instructional time lost in core academic subjects.

- High school requirements: The budget includes a teacher for a new statewide mandated personal-finance graduation course (effective for the class of 2027), and a small line to formalize already-incurred costs for advanced-placement proctors.

- Programs added/removed: The administration eliminated proposed summer-school funding from the operating budget (summer school had previously been supported with one-time federal funds) and returned four teachers to external tuition-funded accounts (Nexus funding) rather than adding them to the operating budget. A modest new proposal to start girls golf at Southington High School was included after student interest surveys returned more than 20 interested female athletes.

Cost offsets and line-item adjustments

- The administration said it identified reductions across supply lines and vacant positions: five vacant non-certified positions (including several paraeducators and vacancies in applied behavior analyst roles) were removed from the request, and one vacant board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA) position (budgeted at about $106,000) was not filled.

- Telephone budget reduced by $50,000; some supply accounts trimmed after historical-spend reviews.

- The administration said it adjusted the district—s excess-cost and in-district tuition assumptions, and will continue to press state legislators about changes to the reimbursement thresholds used for special-education claims.

Technology and grants

- Device and network replacement: The district continues a multi-year technology replacement plan to maintain devices and infrastructure. The superintendent and technology director said recent one-time federal and state programs helped fund earlier device purchases but are no longer available on the same scale. The district continues to pursue competitive grants and has applied for E-rate funding; E-rate rules limit discounts for devices, but do subsidize infrastructure (switches, access points) and internet service.

Process, timeline and next steps

Madanci said the board would reconvene Thursday evening at 7 p.m. for further budget discussion, then present the proposal to the Board of Finance on Feb. 12 at 6:30 p.m. The board may consider delaying a final vote until after the governor—s budget release; the next regular Board of Education meeting referenced in the discussion was Jan. 23. Madanci said the administration will keep a running question-and-answer grid for board and town finance use.

Quotes from meeting participants

- "This $123,614,448 budget represents a 6.6% increase," Superintendent Madanci said at the start of his presentation.

- "Our VCBAs are board certified behavior analysts, and they function mainly for our students who are in our programs for children with autism and for behavioral dysregulation," Dr. Cavallaro said when a board member asked the role of BCBAs and ABA staff.

What remained undecided

Board members pressed for updated health-insurance premium figures, a clearer run rate for current-year transportation and tuition spending, and the final state excess-cost reimbursement amount. The administration said some line items would continue to be refined as updated claims and state guidance arrive.

Ending

The board completed an initial line-by-line review and scheduled a follow-up workshop Thursday evening to continue discussion and gather additional answers before the Board of Finance presentation.