Stamford fiscal committee approves special‑education contracts, adds pre‑K staff

The Stamford Board of Education fiscal committee on an evening meeting approved a consent agenda that included multiple one‑year special‑education contracts, authorization for out‑of‑district tuition for 47 students and the addition of eight grant‑funded pre‑K positions, with each motion passing by a 4–0–0 committee vote.

Chair Josh Estes moved the packet and the committee took separate votes on each item. Ryan Feeley, a staff member who summarized the contracts, said the Branching Minds renewal is a one‑year agreement for $143,732 funded by the Alliance Grant and described the platform as an intervention‑management system that integrates assessment and behavioral data to support MTSS teams. “This platform pulls in all of the data…so schools can see the whole child and make intervention plans,” Amy Beltati, a district staff member, said of the MTSS tool.

Other approvals included a one‑year special‑education pupil‑services contract with Cultivate Behavioral Health for BCBA/ABA/RBT services at $481,000 and a one‑year contract with 3 Cords Inc. for behavior‑technician services at $330,200; both were funded from the special‑education pupil‑services operating account. The committee also approved a contract with Hubbard Day to operate two specialized classrooms at Springdale in an amount not to exceed $1,045,000; Ryan Feeley said the district competitively sourced these services via an RFP.

The committee voted to authorize out‑of‑district tuition and placements for 47 students at a total cost of $7,148,265; Feeley described that a majority of placement resolutions typically come to the board between August and October, which accounts for higher dollar totals in those months. The committee also approved resolution 082724:68 to add eight grant‑funded FTE positions to staff the Lockwood pre‑K program, noting that the School Readiness Grant from the state will fund the positions.

The committee record shows each motion passed unanimously (4–0–0) and the items will appear on the consent agenda of the full board. Staff said they will continue recruiting for unfilled SEA positions while contracting to staff specialized classrooms and that the district’s goal remains to return students to in‑district programs when appropriate.