Southington superintendent frames proposed budget as driven by salaries, benefits and special-education costs
Summary
At a public workshop the Southington superintendent outlined the proposed school budget, citing salaries and health insurance as primary cost drivers, 43 requested staff positions, and rising special-education and ESY costs; board members pressed for follow-up data on cost drivers and funding oversight.
The Southington School District superintendent presented highlights of the proposed budget at a public workshop, telling the board that salaries and benefits remain the largest drivers of school spending and that several other factors — health insurance increases, transportation and special-education costs — are pushing this year's request higher.
"Salaries and benefits are the major drivers of essentially any school district's budget," the superintendent said, adding that the district had compiled 43 staffing requests and that the total of those requests initially produced a 9.51% increase before adjustments. "Every administrator ... made a very rational argument for why they were requesting what they were requesting," the superintendent said, noting the board and administration reduced the compiled total to a number they believe the town can support.
Board members pressed for more specifics on insurance and special-education spending. Administrators said health-insurance rates are spiking in the region — "one district mentioned that it's a 24% increase for them this year" — and that insurance remains a major budget pressure. The superintendent and central-office staff said carrier and self-insurance policy decisions previously were handled by a self-insurance committee, which has since dissolved; currently the Board of Finance is the governing body overseeing self-insurance matters.
Administrators also described special-education trends that are increasing costs. The district reported rising outplaced tuition activity while also outlining plans to expand in-district services to bring students back from tuitioned placements. The Extended School Year (ESY) program — limited summer services for students with IEPs — was estimated at about $404,000 for the upcoming year, and ESY enrollment rose from 205 students to 242 in one year, administrators said.
The superintendent emphasized the team used non-lapsing funds and one-time allocations to avoid making temporary costs permanent and that the district continues to compare salary schedules to Hartford County peers and DERG/DURG groupings to remain competitive for recruitment.
Next steps: board members requested retrospective budget comparisons for the last three cycles, further detail on insurance costs and oversight, and specific breakdowns for the proposed 43 positions; administrators said those items will be added to the Q&A grid for the next workshop.
