Fiscal committee approves four consent-agenda education contracts, sends them to full board

The Stamford School District fiscal committee approved four consent-agenda resolutions at a Nov. 18 meeting, advancing a set of vendor contracts and two tentative collective bargaining agreements to the full board and the board of representatives.

The committee approved Resolution 87, authorizing $882,483 in 2025–26 purchases to cover tuition for seven special-education students placed out of district. Ryan, a district staff member who answered committee questions, said, "We have 235 currently placed," and explained the district count consists of 186 district placements, nine agency placements and 40 settlements. The committee voted 3-0 to send the item to the consent agenda.

The committee also approved a $417,690 contract with the Stepping Stones Group (Resolution 88) for behavioral therapy services. District staff said nine firms responded to the RFP and that awards are based on criteria that include references, skills and experience in addition to cost. "The RFPs themselves are public when they're released," staff said, adding that evaluation criteria and responses are available on the district website or by FOIA.

In labor matters, the committee approved a tentative three-year agreement with the district's parent facilitators (Resolution 90). Dr. Fernandez, who represented the district in negotiations, described parent facilitators as a small bargaining unit (23 positions, roughly one per school) that supports family engagement and interprets and translates for families. He said the contract terms result in a first-year adjustment that was described in negotiations as an 8.77 percent increase but, after a work-year reduction, translated effectively to a moderated change; the contract sets a pay rate of about $31 per hour (roughly $40,000 on the schedule discussed). Committee members pressed for quantitative measures of effectiveness; Dr. Fernandez said building principals supervise and evaluate the roles and that evaluation processes are handled at the school level rather than being embedded in the bargaining language.

The committee also recommended approval of a three-year tentative contract for the Stamford administrative unit (Resolution 91), covering principals, assistant principals and central-office administrators. Dr. Fernandez summarized salary increases of 3.25 percent in year one, 3.25 percent in year two and 3.5 percent in year three (a roughly 10 percent three-year increase). The Board of Finance had submitted a negative opinion noting the three-year increase was slightly above a 32-district average (9.81 percent); board president Michael Hyman characterized the 0.19 percentage-point difference as de minimis and urged the board to approve the negotiated settlement so the legislative body may act.

All four items were passed by the committee with a 3-0 vote and will appear on the consent agenda for the full board; if the board approves, collective-bargaining agreements move next to the board of representatives for final action. The committee adjourned at 7:16 p.m.

Votes at a glance

- Resolution 87: Approve $882,483 for seven out-of-district special-education tuitions; committee vote 3-0; outcome: approved by committee, goes to consent agenda. - Resolution 88: Approve contract with Stepping Stones Group for $417,690 for behavioral therapy services; committee vote 3-0; outcome: approved by committee, goes to consent agenda. - Resolution 90: Tentative three-year collective bargaining agreement with parent facilitators (UPSEU); committee vote 3-0; outcome: approved by committee, goes to consent agenda. - Resolution 91: Tentative three-year collective bargaining agreement with the Stamford administrative unit; committee vote 3-0; outcome: approved by committee, goes to consent agenda.

What to watch next

Each of the four items will appear on the full board's consent agenda; the two collective bargaining agreements will then proceed to the board of representatives for final approval or rejection. If the representatives reject a contract, the district and union would return to the bargaining/arbitration process, as described in committee discussion.