Ridgefield School Board Proposes $125.3M FY27 Budget, 4.62% Increase, On 6-3 Vote

RIDGEFIELD, CT — Ridgefield school board members voted Feb. 26 to adopt Superintendent Susie Da Silva’s proposed 2026-27 operating budget of $125,324,800, a 4.62 percent increase over the current year, after rejecting attempts to lower the spending plan during a lengthy debate over affordability and long-term cost growth.

Board members approved the budget 6-3, with three members voting no after Chair Tina Malhotra called for a vote on the superintendent’s proposal.

The vote came after the board considered — and did not adopt — alternative proposals to reduce the increase. A proposed amendment to cap the increase at 2 percent failed on a vote. A separate motion to amend the budget to a 4 percent increase did not advance after it did not receive a second.

Related: Budget Review: Ridgefield Schools Face Special Education, Energy Cost Pressures

In discussing the superintendent’s budget, Da Silva warned that short-term cuts can create “ripple” effects in future years, citing deferred maintenance and prior staffing decisions as examples of savings that can later become cost pressures.

Malhotra, before the vote, thanked Da Silva and district staff for what she described as an intensive budget season, and said the board had a dual responsibility: fiscal stewardship and ensuring Ridgefield schools can serve students and plan for the future.

Several board members said they were struggling to balance school priorities with taxpayer concerns, repeatedly citing guidance they said the Board of Finance shared earlier in the budget season.

Christine More, the board secretary, made the motion to adopt the superintendent’s proposal, reading into the record the $125,324,800 total and 4.62 percent increase.

Board member Bob Martire proposed amending the increase to 2 percent, arguing that long-term projections make the current growth rate unsustainable.

“If we approve 4.62 percent today… in 10 years, that would be $197 million,” Martire said, citing projected compounding increases. "The path I think we're on is not sustainable."

He said the 2 percent figure was intended to force structural planning rather than incremental adjustments.

Board member Wyatt Lipman said a 2 percent increase would send the wrong message.

“If we want to be known as a town that’s disinvesting from our public education, then a 2 percent increase is a good way to signal that,” Lipman said, adding that he supported voting the superintendent’s proposal up or down.

Related: 'Tough Conversation': Ridgefield BOE Debates Budget Options As Members Clash

Others argued that scaling back the proposal risked undermining recent progress.

Board member Angela Rice said the district’s recent investments have produced visible gains.

“My children’s educational lives have changed only for the better since this team took over as a result of the investments that they’ve made,” she said.

Overview: Proposed FY’27 Budget

Key drivers of the proposed increase include:

• Contractual salary and benefit obligations, which make up the majority of the budget growth.
• Special education costs, including outplacement tuition and transportation.
• Phase three of elementary world language expansion, part of a multi-year rollout.
• Facility maintenance and capital-related operational needs, including gym floor refinishing, stage work and bottle-filling station installations (some of which may now be adjusted to meet the final approved figure).

The superintendent has previously identified roughly 3.2 percent of the increase as “rollover” — maintaining existing programs and contractual obligations — with a smaller portion tied to new or expanded initiatives.

See Also: Ridgefield Selectpersons Review ECDC Funding, Police and Fire Upgrades

The BOE-adopted budget will now move to the Board of Selectpersons for a non-binding recommendation before advancing to the Board of Finance and, ultimately, voters at referendum.