Darien School District proposes 4.39% budget increase, 20.6 FTE reduction as leaders seek $2.7M in savings

Darien — Superintendent Alan Adley told the Board of Education that the district’s proposed fiscal 2026 operating budget would increase total spending by 4.39% and that administrators identified roughly $2.7 million in reductions to reach that figure.

The proposed budget “is about how our students learn, how we support our educators, and how we deliver essential services to everyone,” Adley said during a presentation that the board opened for public comment. He told the board that 82% of the fiscal 2026 budget is dedicated to personnel salaries and benefits and that personnel costs, special-education outplacements and grant compression are the principal drivers of budget growth.

Why it matters: personnel and special education costs take up the bulk of the spending plan, limiting the district’s flexibility. The superintendent described several tradeoffs administrators used to reduce the request, including staff reductions, program changes and deferred capital items.

Key details from the presentation

- Personnel share: “Recognizing that 82% of…