Superintendent's 2026-27 budget highlights insurance shock, special-ed pressures and proposed staff additions
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Summary
Superintendent presented a proposed 2026-27 education budget with a 6.61% increase driven largely by projected benefit/insurance costs, growing special-education needs, and requests for several new positions (math specialists, BCBA/RBT); administration outlined contingency options and reserve use.
The Cromwell School District superintendent presented a proposed 2026-27 budget on Feb. 3 that would increase spending by 6.61%, with health-insurance uncertainty and special-education costs described as the two largest budgetary risks.
Superintendent and budget staff told trustees that administration modeled a 25% insurance increase for budgeting but warned that the preliminary Cigna renewal (discussed earlier in the meeting) came in at 52% and that Aetna had proposed about a 72–73% increase before declining the bid. Administration said it will present multiple budget scenarios once brokers return with firm marketplace quotes.
On staffing, the superintendent and administrators requested new certified positions, including a K–2 math specialist and a 6–12 secondary math coach, each placed on the teacher salary scale at the specified step. The administration also requested noncertified special-education staff: a board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA) and a registered behavior technician (RBT). Dr. McClain and Mrs. O'Leary explained that coaches primarily train teachers and that BCBAs/RBTs work directly with students and staff to reduce outplacements.
Budget staff detailed other drivers: growing costs for outsourcing psychiatric and neuropsychological evaluations, increases in paraprofessional costs for extended-school-year (ESY) outplacements, higher utilities tied to the new middle school and planned technology investments (including an added Palo Alto firewall for redundancy). The administration proposed modest use of the prior-year surplus—$577,517.71 was put into reserve, $201,570 was earmarked for a track project, leaving approximately $375,947.71—and suggested using up to about $85,000 for capital outlay items while preserving the balance to cover special-education volatility.
Board members asked for more trend analysis on claims and utilization, details about contractual implications of benefit-plan changes, and clearer class-size and caseload data to guide possible consolidation options. Administration said it will provide an updated packet for the March 10 presentation to the Board of Finance and return to the board on Feb. 24 with updated insurer quotes if available.
No formal budget votes were taken at the meeting; the board discussed scenarios and agreed to reconvene with brokers and updated budget documents before finalizing a board proposal to the town's Board of Finance.