School principals used the budget workshop to highlight building-level needs that the FY27 proposal aims to address.

High School Principal Scott Paladino said restoring a full-time athletic director would help rebuild JV/club programs and attract students, but committee members questioned whether user fees or other offsets would cover ongoing costs. "My hope is that if not this year, next year, we would be able to get our athletic director to a full time position," Paladino said.

Middle School Principal Dr. Sarah Russo requested two to three interventionists to support ELA and math small-group instruction; she said class sizes are projected at roughly 20 students per class next year and called interventionists a priority to maintain growth. "It would be nice to have that extra support," Russo said, adding the staff’s top priority on a recent survey was preserving class size.

Elementary Principal Dan Sylvester emphasized paraeducator coverage, especially in kindergarten where class sizes can reach about 22–23 students and preschool-to-kindergarten transitions increase need. Sylvester presented behavior data showing 299 recorded behavior incidents to date and estimated that investigations average two to three hours per case, arguing that administrative and para support is critical to maintain safety and instruction time.

Administrators said the district once had a para in every kindergarten classroom under a prior full-day kindergarten grant and that sustainability depends on funding source. The superintendent and finance staff identified revolving funds and competitive grants as possible partial offsets while warning that some supports can only be maintained with recurring operating revenue.

Next steps: principals will provide more detailed job descriptions and cost estimates for committee consideration during budget negotiations.