Mayor urges reinstating $1M for school meals, and district pushes for more special‑education funding at state level

Mayor Caroline Timmons, in a statement read into the Stamford Board of Education record, urged the board to reinstate $1,000,000 in the FY26 budget to ensure the district’s free and reduced‑price lunch program is maintained. The mayor’s statement said cutting that funding would "negatively impact around 51 percent of our student population." The statement was read by the board president and entered into the record.

The mayor also described recent advocacy visits to the state capitol with the superintendent and other mayors and superintendents from Connecticut’s major cities to press for increased state education funding, including special education reimbursements. She noted participation in a mayoral special education policy working group focused on municipal priorities to raise with the governor and legislature.

In the statement the mayor affirmed a joint letter from the mayor’s office, the superintendent and the board president that "Stamford Public Schools welcomes all resident students or children in our schools without consideration of ... immigration status," and the statement encouraged parents to contact the Office of Family and Community Engagement with questions.

Board members acknowledged the mayor’s statement and entered it into the record. Separately during board reports the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE) priorities and the legislature’s new special education select committee were noted as ongoing state‑level developments the district will watch as it seeks additional funding and capacity to serve students locally.