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Superintendent Jer presents FY27 budget for Waterford School District, citing strong outcomes and targeted investments
Summary
Superintendent Jer on the proposed FY27 budget emphasized modest net increases driven by compensation and benefits, highlighted state accountability gains that place Waterford in the top 25% of districts, and proposed targeted investments in special education, music and a family-school liaison while reducing four certified FTEs through attrition.
Superintendent Jer presented the Waterford School District’s proposed FY27 budget at a board of education workshop, saying the plan balances a near-flat operating increase with targeted investments to meet students’ needs.
Jer told the board the district’s performance on the Connecticut Next Generation Accountability Index places Waterford in the top 25 percent of K–12 districts while per‑pupil spending remains near the state median. “This budget represents a careful investment in excellence and inspiration in the people, the programs and systems that ensure every child is prepared,” Jer said, framing the proposal as the superintendent’s recommended budget produced by a district team.
The proposal factors in major fixed cost drivers: compensation and benefits increases (Jer cited roughly $2.2 million in additional compensation and a planned 12% health‑insurance increase tied to the state partnership plan). Outside those drivers, Jer said other spending is up only modestly and the budget relies on attrition to limit layoffs—he proposed a net reduction of four certified FTEs through attrition.
Administrators described a mix of investments included in the FY27 request: one additional special‑education teacher targeted to Clark Lane Middle School, funding to bolster music and theater staffing and programming, a reallocation of a 0.5 technology education FTE to support 6–12 career pathways, and a proposed family‑school liaison (FSL) to address chronic absenteeism, multilingual outreach and basic‑needs barriers for families.
Jer also said the district will seek to offset local costs with competitive grants and noted nearly $215,000 in grant activity this school year. He pointed to school‑based health clinics (about 2,000 visits last year) and demographic trends—including growth in multilingual learners (from 62 to 135 since 2019)—to explain the need for some of the requested positions.
The board spent more than an hour reviewing line items and seeking clarifications about course offerings, staffing models and tuition assumptions. The superintendent said more detailed backup (job descriptions, caseload data and an IT audit) was provided in the budget book.
The board set a follow‑up budget discussion for next Thursday and is scheduled to take final action at the February 26 board meeting.
