RIDGEFIELD, CT — The Ridgefield Board of Education raised concerns about overcrowded middle school classrooms, questioned the distribution of students between the town's two middle schools and reviewed mounting budget pressures during its Nov. 9 meeting.
Board members also approved a three-year contract with the Ridgefield Administrators Association, established the graduation date for Ridgefield High School's Class of 2027 and examined a proposed capital improvement plan as they prepared for a Nov. 17 meeting with the Board of Finance and Board of Selectpersons.
A presentation on districtwide class sizes prompted an extended discussion about enrollment disparities between Scotts Ridge and East Ridge middle schools, particularly whether the district should reconsider which elementary schools feed into each building.
Scotts Ridge has larger classes than East Ridge in several core subjects, according to the district's 2026-27 class size report.
At Scotts Ridge, seventh- and eighth-grade English classes average 24 students, while seventh-grade science classes average 24.38 students and social studies classes average 24.5. Comparable classes at East Ridge generally average between 19 and 21 students.
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Board Secretary Christine More questioned whether the larger classes were appropriate for middle school students, citing their developmental needs and the demands placed on teachers.
More urged the board to consider changing the elementary-to-middle-school feeder configuration, an issue she said had been raised repeatedly during her three years on the board.
Currently, students from Barlow Mountain, Ridgebury and Scotland elementary schools attend Scotts Ridge, while students from Branchville, Farmingville and Veterans Park attend East Ridge.
Scotts Ridge Principal Tim Salem said his school had approximately 575 students, although the figure fluctuates as students enroll or leave.
Salem said enrollment approaching 600 would create more significant operational concerns. He acknowledged that teachers have noticed increasing class sizes but expressed confidence in their ability to manage them.
Superintendent Susie Da Silva said changing feeder patterns would have staffing implications, including potentially adding a teaching team at East Ridge.
She also noted that the middle school team model, which groups students with core subject teachers, is more expensive than some alternative instructional arrangements.
Board Vice Chair Jonathan Paradiso raised a separate concern about compliance with district Policy 6510, which establishes class size guidelines.
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Paradiso said some Scotts Ridge classes exceed the 25-student middle school guideline and questioned whether the board was receiving the notification required by its policy.
He emphasized that he was not necessarily requesting additional teachers or class sections, but wanted formal notification when classes exceeded the guidelines.
Scotts Ridge Assistant Principal Lisa Frese confirmed that some individual sections had 26, 27 or 28 students, even though the school's reported averages were below 25.
Da Silva explained that enrollment changes during the school year can cause individual classes to exceed guidelines and that restructuring middle school teams after classes have begun can disrupt student schedules.
She said the administration would work on a way to communicate those changes to the board.
Board Chair Tina Malhotra acknowledged the concern, saying the purpose of reporting class sizes was to help the board determine whether teachers and students needed additional support.
More renewed her request for a broader examination of feeder patterns. Board member Angela Rice suggested the issue could be considered in connection with the district's facilities master planning, although board member Dawn-Marie Callahan said redrawing school boundaries was not currently included in that planning process.
No action was taken to change school assignments or boundaries.
Director of Personnel Karen Dewing presented the district's annual class size and staffing report, using enrollment and staffing figures from Oct. 1.
The district's six elementary schools enrolled 1,758 students in kindergarten through fifth grade, down from 1,802 the previous year.
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Elementary schools operated 95 classroom sections, compared with 97 the previous year. Average elementary class size declined from 18.79 to 18.51 students.
At Ridgefield High School, enrollment declined from 1,397 to 1,353 students.
Assistant Principal Jarret Pepe reported that the high school's major academic departments generally maintained average class sizes of 17 to 19 students.
He said the school fulfilled more than 98 percent of student course requests while offering more than 200 courses and over 1,000 instructional and support sections.
More questioned whether some smaller high school classes could be consolidated to reduce staffing demands.
Pepe explained that combining sections could create scheduling conflicts, forcing students to choose between courses that would otherwise be available.
He cited Mandarin and computer science as examples of courses that could conflict if the school eliminated certain sections.
The staffing report also showed that the district was operating 3.18 full-time-equivalent positions below its budgeted staffing allocation as of Oct. 1.
Dewing distinguished those positions from other vacancies that administrators were actively attempting to fill.
The board also reviewed a proposed fiscal year 2028 capital improvement plan totaling approximately $4.8 million.
Da Silva presented a series of documents designed to help board members evaluate projects by cost, urgency, priority and whether they were identified in the district's facilities condition assessment.
The materials included a five-year capital plan, a separate annual project list and explanations of how individual projects were classified.
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Paradiso questioned whether some projects could be postponed or eliminated to reduce the overall request.
He identified approximately $990,000 across nine projects classified as lower-priority improvements that were not directly tied to the facilities condition assessment.
Paradiso said he wanted to understand the consequences of eliminating those projects before the board finalized its recommendations.
He also anticipated that the Board of Selectpersons would examine the proposal for potential reductions.
Da Silva cautioned that projects not identified in the facilities assessment could still be necessary. She cited school resource officer vehicles and mechanical repairs as examples of expenses that might not appear in the assessment but still require funding.
Board member Kathryn Graf requested additional information about projects funded in previous years, including whether unspent allocations remained available and how continuing projects were reflected in the new plan.
Da Silva said the administration had prepared a report detailing the status of fiscal year 2026 capital projects, including completed work, delayed projects and explanations for outstanding expenditures.
She explained that money appropriated for a particular capital project cannot simply be transferred to an unrelated project.
The board did not vote on the capital plan. Further review is expected before the district's December budget decisions.
Budget discussions also focused on the district's financial outlook, particularly rising special education expenses.
Da Silva warned that the district was experiencing unusually significant special education costs early in the fiscal year.
She said the board needed to consider both the possibility of a current-year deficit and the likelihood that some expenses would continue into fiscal year 2028.
Unlike certain discretionary expenses, special education services must be provided to students who qualify for them, she said.
More urged the administration to provide a detailed explanation of the increased costs, including out-of-district placements and other services, while protecting student confidentiality.
Board member Robert Martire said future budget presentations should explain not only how much money the district needs but also how proposed reductions would affect students.
He said maintaining student performance should be central to the board's financial decisions.
Rice encouraged the board to demonstrate that it had seriously considered cost-saving measures, even if the final budget could not meet the Board of Finance's spending guidance.
Paradiso called for those discussions to begin earlier than they did during the previous budget cycle.
He said the board should examine potential reductions and their consequences during the initial budget review rather than waiting until March or April.
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Malhotra agreed that earlier discussions would help the board explain its decisions to residents and other town officials.
She also encouraged members to maintain respectful debate over spending priorities, noting that disagreements about budget proposals should not be interpreted as a lack of concern for students.
The board expects to receive guidance from the Board of Finance at the Nov. 17 Tri-Board meeting. Malhotra also referenced a Dec. 9 discussion intended to help establish budget priorities before the superintendent presents her proposed spending plan in January.
In other business, the board approved a tentative agreement with the Ridgefield Administrators Association covering July 1, 2027, through June 30, 2030.
The contract was approved following an executive session held at the beginning of the meeting.
The transcript records seven votes in favor of the agreement. Financial terms of the contract were not discussed in the public portion of the meeting.
The board also unanimously approved Thursday, June 17, 2027, as the graduation date for Ridgefield High School's Class of 2027.
Commencement exercises are scheduled for Tiger Hollow.
According to a memorandum from Principal Jacob Greenwood, the date falls on the 183rd day of the originally adopted school calendar, satisfying Connecticut's requirement that a firm graduation date be no earlier than the 180th day.
The board also approved Superintendent Da Silva and Ridgefield Public Schools Assistant Business Director Nicholas Karas as authorized signatories for state and federal child nutrition program documents.
Da Silva said the district was preparing for a comprehensive review of its school nutrition program, with the on-site audit scheduled to begin Dec. 1.
The review will examine reimbursement procedures, student meal eligibility, wellness policies and other program requirements.
The district is also beginning a request-for-proposals process for its school lunch program.
The board approved several policy changes as part of its consent agenda.
Members rescinded the district's existing attendance policy, Policy 5110, and replaced the previous employee communication devices policy with a broader policy governing employee use of district computer systems and electronic communications.
The new technology policy addresses district networks, electronic devices, messaging platforms and employee privacy expectations.
In a separate vote, the board rescinded Policy 5112, governing admission to public schools.
More explained that the district had received an updated model policy from its legal counsel, Shipman & Goodwin, after the board's previous review.
Rather than revise the existing policy immediately, administrators recommended rescinding it and allowing the Policy Committee to consider the new model in December.
The proposed replacement addresses issues beyond the kindergarten enrollment cutoff that had been part of earlier discussions.
The motion to rescind the policy passed.
The Nov. 9 meeting agenda and supporting materials are available through the Ridgefield Public Schools Board of Education, and meeting recordings can be viewed on the district's Board of Education YouTube channel.
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