Madison superintendent outlines preliminary budget, proposes $8.8 million reserve use to blunt 21.5% insurance spike
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Summary
The superintendent presented a preliminary FY budget that would use $8.8 million in district health-insurance reserves to offset an unusually large 21.5% increase in employee health costs, while preserving key programs and scheduling a tentative board vote for April 28.
Speaker 2 presented the Madison School District—s preliminary budget picture Wednesday, citing strong student achievement but pressing cost drivers that include a projected 21.5% increase in employee health-insurance costs.
The superintendent said the district—s academic results place Madison near the top of comparable Connecticut districts and highlighted recent successes in academics, arts and athletics. But the presentation focused on operating pressures: enrollment has stopped declining, contractual cost increases and inflation (CPI) are rising, and health-insurance costs are the single largest budget driver for next year.
To blunt the projected insurance spike, Speaker 2 described a plan to use $8,800,000 from the district—s health-insurance reserve account, a move the superintendent said was supported by the town and the board of finance chair. "We feel very confident that that will happen," Speaker 2 said of the town—s acceptance of reserve use, noting the district has used reserves in prior years for similar purposes.
The presentation included program-level detail: one-time savings from last year—s reconfiguration from six buildings to four are largely exhausted; utilities will rise when Polson Middle School brings in air-conditioning and upgraded HVAC systems; transportation contracts were projected to increase about 4%; and the district is monitoring enrollment shifts that will affect staffing needs in specific schools. Speaker 2 said staff reductions would target paraprofessional positions the district has had difficulty filling for multiple years, while certification-level staffing would be adjusted where enrollment requires.
Speaker 2 framed the process as ongoing and public: the board—s tentative vote on the budget is scheduled for April 28, and the administration plans a workshop with the district—s insurance consultant before the board—s final deliberations. Staff asked board members to submit detailed questions in advance so answers could be prepared.
Next steps: the administration will update numbers after the insurance-consultant meeting and present more refined figures at the next workshop. The board will consider the formal budget vote later in the public schedule.