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Ansonia Board reviews ACES contracts, staffing and plans to reduce contracted services for 2026–27
Summary
At the May 27 special meeting the board examined ACES contracts for special education services. Staff said Ansonia employs about 18 paraprofessionals, ACES typically supplies one-to-one EAs for highest-need students, and planned reductions in contracted roles are expected to yield net savings next fiscal year.
Assistant Superintendent Steve Bergin and Superintendent DiBacco reviewed contracts and staffing for ACES-provided special education services and described where contracted personnel are used across district buildings.
Bergin explained that education assistants and paraprofessionals are legally required to support high‑need students and are located in each school building. "ACES EAs are typically assigned to strict one-to-one roles with the highest-need students," Bergin said. DiBacco added that the district directly employs approximately 18 paraprofessionals.
The board discussed the operational trade-offs between contracting with ACES and hiring internal staff. DiBacco said the district has evaluated internal hiring extensively but finding qualified candidates and establishing the necessary training infrastructure would be cost-prohibitive at present. He said ESY (Extended School Year) openings will be posted internally first and only outsourced if vacancies remain unfilled.
Marriott reviewed itemized comparisons of the current ACES contract and the 2026–27 projections and said strategic reductions in ACES-contracted education assistants, behavior technicians, psychological services and building liaisons will yield a net cost savings for the coming year.
Dr. Adamowski said board participation in contract negotiations should follow local precedent with two board members serving on each negotiating committee; Marriott said the food service contract is wrapping up and the custodian contract is near completion, with administrator contract work scheduled for 2027.
No public comments were offered during the meeting.
