The Board of Education (BOE) approved a 3.86% budget increase for the 2024/2025 school year, but not without much discussion.
According to Superintendent Steven A. Moccio, a 3.06% increase is required just to maintain the current staffing and services – anything less would require more cuts to the school system. The original budget proposed in late January–which asked for a 5.52% increase – has already been reduced after the BOE asked the Superintendent to keep the increase to 4% or less.
Special education services update
Before the board voted on the latest version of the proposed budget, Katharine Gabrielson, Director of Pupil Services, gave a presentation on the special education department, explaining the staff shortage and why cutting services is not an option. A nationwide shortage of qualified special education teachers means they can have their pick of jobs, and districts like Stafford that pay less than nearby districts are at the bottom of most teachers’ lists. Gabrielson said 65% of schools are understaffed in their special education departments.
The lack of staff also means that the district has to maintain more out-of-district placements for students whose needs they can’t meet in the district. That often means paying tuition as well as providing transportation for students. However, at a previous meeting, we also learned that it’s difficult to find appropriate transportation and the district ends up having to pay parents mileage for transporting their own students.
It’s also important to note that in order to continue receiving Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) funding, the district must demonstrate a “maintenance of effort” (MOE), which requires school systems to continue providing the same level of service, and their budget. That means there are only four reasons a district can decrease its special education funding without worrying about losing even more funding:
Replacing senior staff who leave voluntarily with less expensive staff – such as hiring a new graduate to replace a retiring teacher
A decrease in enrollment
A cessation of responsibility of providing high-cost services – such as when a student moves out of the district
Termination of a costly expenditure, such as paying off a large purchase
Gabrielson also pointed out to the board that any costs covered by the IDEA grant are not eligible for reimbursement through the state’s Excess Cost grant, which provides “partial reimbursement from the State for students who require services that cumulatively exceed the school district’s basic contribution,’ or the portion of a student’s education that the school district is responsible for.” For this reason, simply covering costs with the IDEA grant is not always the best move.
Stafford is supposed to receive 91% reimbursement for its excess costs because of the high level of need in town, but historically have only actually received 72%. This is because what gets paid out depends on the claims submitted, and the grant is often underfunded to provide reimbursement rates at the level that it's promised. In Meriden, this has led to a budget freeze. In Trumbull, the BOE approved $500,000 more than was originally requested because of its shortfalls in reimbursement.
Stafford teachers speak up
After Gabrielson’s presentation, teachers and other members of the Stafford school system spoke during Public Comment, trying to impress upon the board just how tough the past couple of years have been in the schools.
Diane Glettenberg, a teacher and President of the teacher’s union, said, “We are struggling to adequately meeth the needs of our students.” Larger class sizes, fewer interventionists, and personnel like paraprofessionals mean teachers are being asked to do more – including filling in for teachers who have left mid-year for better-paying jobs in other districts. She said that the very small budget increases over the past few years – just 1.18% on average over the past 10 years – send the message that “what we do is neither valued nor appreciated.”
Eileen Laramie, a math teacher at Stafford High School (SHS) says she has been teaching in the system for 18 years, and that SHS is like a mini-family. She said that in her first 17 years of teaching, she can only remember seeing two mid-year losses of teachers. This year, she says, there have been six from SHS alone. “Like so many houses around, our foundation is crumbling.” She also said that in 2021, the inflation rate was 7%, but her raise was just 1.1%. “Would you stay?” Laramie asked the board.
Laura Lybarger, former chair of the BOE, said the 3.86% increase is not nearly enough to help the district catch up, saying neighboring Tolland approved an over 6% increase this year. She also said what many know but rarely say: funding schools through property taxes is not equitable or sustainable, and the entire system needs an overhaul. She urged the board members to explain their votes, especially if they were to vote no because they believe the budget isn’t adequate.
Stafford Middle School science teacher Donna Napolitano stressed that she is invested in her community and asked that the BOE present a common front as they make their case to the Board of Finance and the rest of the town. “There’s no fat left to cut,” she said and urged the board to put aside their own agendas.
Marco Pelliccia, Principal of SHS, said that every time a teacher leaves, another has to step up. He said he understood that the BOE has to find the magic number to get the budget passed by the town, but also said the past five years have been rough.
After the public comment session closed, Moccio gave an abridged version of his now-familiar budget presentation. He explained where he had made more cuts to get the budget increase under 4%. The list of “wants” that he cut included replacing teacher Chromebooks and athletic uniforms (leaving that to the Boosters). He also said he had allocated funds from open positions to help pay for substitute teachers; currently, students whose teachers are out often have study hall instead of a substitute. The district also figured out how to pay for Amplify CKLA materials – required for the district to comply with the state’s Right to Read law – through grants, and so it has been removed from the budget.
BOE budget discussion
The board may have asked Moccio to keep the budget increase to 4% or under, but not everyone was convinced that provides adequate funding for the district. Notably, Michael Delano said he was “pretty disgusted” by how much is cut from the budget every year and that he was unsure about sending this budget to the town. He indicated that he would like to turn the tables and say the budget increase should be 6% and send it to the town to see what it says.
Jennifer Biedrzycki said that after hearing from Gabrielson that special education case managers have a caseload of up to 25 students each, she has reservations about approving the budget as-is.
Aaron Hoffman moved to approve the budget as presented, and Shana Boland seconded it. Delano said he would like to table the matter to see if there was any way to reverse some of the cuts.
“If I was to vote against this, it wouldn’t be to lower it,” Delano said. However, the BOE has to approve a budget two months prior to it being presented to the public – that means by roughly March 1. Additionally, Moccio has to present the budget to the Board of Finance on March 5. In other words, going back now would only cause more problems.
BOE Chair Sara Introvigne-Kelley said this budget allows the district to maintain what it had last year and add a little back in. She also reminded the board that they don’t want to be in a position where the budget gets cut to less than a 3.06% increase, which would require more cuts.
Hoffman pointed out that the budget, as presented, represents a bigger increase than any other over the past 10 years, even if it’s still quite low in comparison to other districts.
Ultimately, the board voted unanimously to approve the budget and send it to the Board of Finance. If you want to ask questions about the budget, you will have plenty of chances. See the list of informational sessions below.
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