Mister Badansi, the district superintendent, presented the Southington School District’s proposed 2026–27 operating budget at the Jan. 8 Board of Education meeting, describing it as roughly $130.3 million and clarifying during the presentation that the overall increase is 6.89%. He said the rise is largely driven by contractual salary and benefits obligations, higher energy and transportation costs, and increases in purchased services.

“The $130,000,000, 299,074 thousand dollar budget reflects a 2.89% increase,” the superintendent initially stated and then corrected during his remarks, saying aloud later, “A 6.89% increase.” He told the board that many of the budget pressures come from negotiated settlements and rising costs the district cannot control.

Badansi said administrators originally calculated staffing requests that would have produced a 9.51% increase (about 41 new staff requests), but the current proposal trims that number substantially. He said the administration eliminated 37 of those staffing requests to reduce the proposed increase while preserving core programs and student supports. He also highlighted efforts to move one‑time capital and major equipment spending outside the operating budget where possible.

The superintendent detailed other drivers of the budget increase: a planned expansion of the extended school year for students with IEPs, higher substitute-teacher costs amid a staffing shortage, special-education outplacement and excess-cost pressures, and technology replacement cycles. He called on state policymakers to consider an inflation adjustment to the education cost-sharing formula, noting that state aid has not kept pace with operating costs.

Next steps: the board will hold two budget workshops next week (Tuesday and Thursday) and then continue the review with the board of finance and town council; public hearings on the budget will follow. Board members were asked to submit questions in advance via a Google form to allow administration time to prepare detailed answers.