Board of Ed Begins Consideration of Superintendent’s Budget

PHILIP THIBODEAU PHOTO

Southington School Superintendent Steven Madancy presented a “high-level” version of his proposed budget for the first time to the Board of Education during its January 8 meeting.

“Community input is a crucial part of the budget process: to hear what people have to say (and) what they value as they live in our community,” Madancy emphasized, encouraging citizens to attend public comment sessions in March and April, and to make their voices heard.

Madancy’s initial ask is for $130,299,074, which represents a 6.89% increase over last fiscal year. He pointed to rising labor costs as a primary driver for the higher budget, as well as the current financial environment. Other factors cited include higher energy, transportation and rubbish removal costs.

The Superintendent also pointed out that funding from state and federal programs had diminished over the past year. “The minimal aid we receive from these sources places a disproportionate burden on our community,” he contended.

His presentation showed that in FY 2018-19, state and federal funding for education constituted 21.2% of the district operating budget. Last year those same sources covered only 17.1% of the budget, as the funding failed to keep up with escalating costs. This year Madancy said he expects to be “flat-funded,” and to receive only about 16% of his operating budget from state and federal sources.

About 61% of the proposed budget – $79.9 million – goes toward staff salaries. Benefits (21%) and services such as the aforementioned rubbish collection and transportation (15%) constitute most of the remainder.

“A lot of what you’ll see in this budget is closely associated with priorities in the strategic plan,” Madancy said.

Southington's public school system is one of the ten largest districts in Connecticut, with over 6,000 enrolled students. The percentages of English language learners, students with disabilities, and students qualifying for free or reduced price meals all have increased year-over-year, per district data, contributing to costs.

“We’re a big district, so these are not small numbers, and that’s one of the challenges associated with this budget,” Madancy said, referring to costs associated with technology for staff and students.

Madancy pointed out that Southington remains one of the lowest districts in the state when it comes to per-pupil expenditure; the figure, $19,930, puts the town 132nd out of 160. The average number in Connecticut is $24,270. However, he added, “we are doing a good job for what we spend on our students,” with schools offering a full academic curriculum.

Madancy suggested that the Board of Education was “wise” to wait until the Governor’s budget was unveiled before voting to approve spending. “You don’t want to adopt your budget and have a surprise on the legislative side of things, (such as) unfunded mandates or large changes coming our way that we’re not prepared for,” he said.

Madancy also thanked district staffers, who have been at work preparing the budget since mid-October. He said they managed to reduce a first-pass requested increase of 9.51% to the current request of 6.89%.

The Board will now scrutinize the budget books and weigh in at workshops on January 13 and 15.

Curricular Actions

As if to prove Madancy’s point about Southington schools offering a wide curriculum, the Board at its meeting voted to approve classes including pottery, equine science, and wildlife, as well as field trips for qualifying students to Italy, Texas and Vermont.

As the Board approved a new Emergency Medical Technician course, member Joseph Baczewski praised the district for adding it. He pointed out that students who are interested in health services careers, including nursing, physician’s assistants, and medicine, need to build up patient contact hours as part of that training, which the course will help them acquire.

“This is just another testament to how (the schools) provide a service for our community,” Baczewski said, noting also that students could earn wages in those learning hours.

An archery unit for the physical education curriculum had garnered some criticism due to safety concerns. Following a motion from Curriculum Chair Bob Brown, a vote was taken to postpone approval until the curriculum sub-committee has had a chance to address those concerns.

A Barn Raising

Board Member Lisa Cammuso, who chairs the Board’s Finance Committee, reported the Committee’s recommendation that an agricultural science barn be built near DePaolo middle school using a grant from Connecticut’s ASTE (Agricultural Science and Technology Education) program. Centers such as this one “prepare students for college and careers in the fields of agriculture, aquaculture, horticulture, mechanics, food science, biotechnology and the environment as part of their high school program,” according to the Department of Education, and are available to interested students whether or not their district offers the program.

Money for this construction does not come from the operating budget, Madancy stressed, adding that the district had been accruing funds for the barn’s construction over the years when alternate sources become available. He said that the construction could include features such walking paths and community garden spaces which could be used by members of Calendar House, for example.

The $803,990 will go toward “paving, enhanced roof warranty, a fire alarm system, partial concrete slab installation and a performance bond,” according to Cammuso.

The Board voted unanimously to approve the proposal.

Madancy also mentioned that a school meals debt of $10,492 had accumulated through November 2025, but that the district received a holiday donation from a resident in the amount of $1,500 to help pay down unpaid balances from students unable to afford the meals.

“Food services is a self-sustaining system and is not part of the Board of Education operating budget,” Cammuso noted.

Editor's note: the article has been corrected to reflect the fact that Bob Brown proposed to table discussion of the archery course until the committee could further consider the issue; the original had him objecting to the postponement.