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 our fiscal year 26 budget is dedicated to personnel’s salaries and benefits,” Adley said, framing personnel as the core budget pressure. - Reduction target: Adley said the administration identified about $2.7 million in reductions to present a 4.39% proposed increase that he judged “reasonable for the board to respond to and for the community to support.” - FTE and staffing changes: The proposal shows a net reduction of 20.57 full‑time‑equivalent positions. The superintendent singled out the elimination of 15 elementary instructional paraprofessionals and noted other reductions that include gifted-program positions, a behavioral assistant and adjustments tied to enrollment changes. - IDEA (gifted) program: Adley described the IDEA gifted program as serving about 237 students with 3.3 FTEs and said the administration is proposing changes to how gifted services are delivered — including a version of classroom‑based differentiation — as part of the cost reductions. - Special education: Adley said outplacement costs are a major growth driver, with individual placements ranging from roughly $75,000 to nearly $100,000, and noted the budget assumes a 70% state excess‑cost reimbursement rate. - Other adjustments: The plan proposes new hires for an occupational therapist and a board‑certified behavior analyst (BCBA), insourcing some special‑education staff, reductions in select nursing and security positions, a revised facility‑study scope and deferrals of some technology and athletic equipment purchases.

Options and trade‑offs

Adley presented alternatives the administration used to balance priorities: reducing professional‑learning time allotments rather than eliminating them entirely, seeking savings by reassigning one director of security to a half‑time director/half‑time floater role, and replacing some paraprofessional duties with student interns. He said the PLC (professional learning community) proposal had been reduced from an earlier figure and that some previously proposed increases were trimmed to reach the reduction target.

What the board did not do tonight

No final budget decision was taken at the special meeting. The board recessed briefly because of audio/streaming issues and reconvened to complete the presentation; the chair opened a public comment period and scheduled a longer, detailed review at an all‑day session on Saturday and a formal public hearing on Feb. 4.

Public response

During the comment period, many parents, alumni and residents urged the board to preserve the IDEA gifted program and to reconsider eliminating elementary instructional paraprofessionals, arguing those cuts would harm students and send a negative message about district priorities.

Looking ahead

Board members and staff said they will continue detailed budget discussions at the scheduled all‑day Saturday meeting and review community feedback before making recommendations to the Board of Finance and finalizing the fiscal 2026 request.

Ending note: The district’s next scheduled meeting to continue budget review is an all‑day session on Saturday; a formal public hearing is set for the evening of Feb. 4, according to the board’s calendar.