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Bridgeport reports staffing and special‑education gains after CSDE technical assistance
Summary
CSDE technical assistance and public‑works teams reported measurable progress in Bridgeport Public Schools: major reductions in special‑education vacancies, improved IEP compliance and $529,000 in newly identified excess‑cost reimbursements, though officials said several audit recommendations remain in progress.
State and contracted technical‑assistance teams told the board that Bridgeport Public Schools has made notable operational and fiscal progress since CSDE intervened.
Public Works and the CSDE technical assistance team reported that 10 of the 34 recommendations from the district’s CliftonLarsonAllen forensic audit have been fully implemented and 21 are in progress. Dr. Joanne Cox, who led the Public Works update, told the board: "To date ... 10 of the audit recommendations have been completely implemented, 21 are in various stages of progress, and three have been initiated, but are waiting a final decision from the administration on how to proceed." (paraphrased from presentation)
Special‑education staffing marked a large improvement: the team reported that special‑education teacher vacancies fell from 31 in November 2024 to five in February 2026 and to just one vacancy at the most recent count. Speech‑and‑language vacancies, previously significant, were reported at zero currently. The district also identified $529,000 in excess‑cost grant reimbursement that had previously not been claimed; staff said that recognizing in‑district excess‑costs will yield recurring revenue going forward.
Technical teams described procedural reforms (budget manuals, controls in MUNIS, activity‑fund consolidation) and operational fixes such as renegotiating some contracts, adjusting tuition counts for out‑of‑district placements, and strengthening special‑education case management and IEP compliance (non‑compliance rate moved from 5.3% in February to 1.9%). CSDE said the work remains in progress and emphasized the need to embed procedures in new finance and HR systems.
Board members praised the staffing and compliance improvements but noted remaining work; CSDE and public‑works staff said they will continue weekly monitoring and support.
