Administrators told the board the district buys three memberships (about 543 days) at the Farmington Valley Diagnostic Center through CREC to provide short‑term diagnostic placements; presenters said the program stabilizes students and can be less expensive than out‑of‑district tuition, but transportation costs and comparative district spending remain important variables.
The Southington Board of Education heard a presentation on district plans to introduce controlled AI tools (Brisk, Magic School AI) with teacher supervision, digital‑citizenship training, and a one‑time software budget increase of $32,724; administrators said they will monitor renewals and usage to control future cost growth.
District staff reported rising recorded incidents that involve crisis response and social‑work support (595 recorded incidents in FY24–25; 207 had social‑worker lead), and administration urged clearer workload quantification to justify additional social‑worker FTEs in the proposed budget.
Administrators told the Southington board that eliminating one regular bus route would save roughly $80,000 annually but that state ride-time limits, geography and multiple destinations (technical high schools, athletics) constrain further consolidation.
Administrators told the Southington board that social-worker demand and multilingual-learner enrollment have climbed sharply, with TESOL enrollment rising roughly 70% in five years and social-work staffing stretched thin; board members debated funding responsibility and requested deliverables and staffing breakdowns.
At a public workshop the Southington superintendent outlined the proposed school budget, citing salaries and health insurance as primary cost drivers, 43 requested staff positions, and rising special-education and ESY costs; board members pressed for follow-up data on cost drivers and funding oversight.
The Southington Board of Education approved K–5 health and grade‑6 science curriculum revisions, adopted new AP textbooks (costs disclosed), approved new SHS courses including Advanced Pottery and an EMT certification course, and approved multiple policy updates; an indoor archery unit was tabled for further review following public safety concerns.
The board approved awarding the Pleasant Street agricultural science barn RFP to the recommended bidder with a $803,990 award (funded by the Connecticut ASTE grant). The finance report also noted declines in meal counts and projected special-education excess-cost reimbursements of about $3.3 million at an anticipated 70.3% state reimbursement rate.
Superintendent presented a proposed $130.3 million 2026–27 budget and said the increase (clarified to 6.89%) is driven mainly by contractual salary and benefit obligations, higher energy and transportation costs, and growth in special-education needs; the board scheduled workshops and public hearings next week.
Joanne Kelleher told the board that the Early Childhood Collaborative of Southington is the town’s local governance partner for Early Start CT (contracted as of July 2025), that the town currently has 45 state-funded preschool slots and will need a community needs assessment to compete for more slots as the state expands funding.
