Budget Increase Proposed For Wallingford Schools

WALLINGFORD, CT — Superintendent of Schools Dr. Salvatore Menzo presented a $104 million spending plan for Fiscal Year 2018-19, which represents a 3.48 percent increase over the current year’s budget, to the Board of Education on Monday night. Each year, the school board in Wallingford is presented with a two-pronged budget — a Sustained Services Budget and a Strategic Plan Budget. The sustained services budget represents the estimated costs needed to maintain the current services to the next year while the strategic plan includes funding needed to meet school district’s goals.

Menzo proposed a $102.5 million sustained services budget for 2018-19, representing a 1.99 percent increase along with a reduction in staff “based on enrollment decreases.”

The sustained services budget calls for reductions in the following areas:

• Eliminated Counseling Coordinator
• Increased High School Department Head Teaching Load by One Additional Class
• Eliminated 1 Clerical Position

Along with additions in the following areas:

• Special Education/Student Support Services
• Increased Needs for Students Specifically in PreK-5 Schools
• New Students Enrolled
• Increased Social and Emotional Needs
• Anticipated Decrease in State Reimbursement

The first year of the Strategic Plan for 2018-2019 was calculated to be about $1.5 million, an increase of 1.49 percent.

Several budget workshop sessions, which are open to the public, will be held over the next few weeks. The sessions are all held at the school district’s Central Office, at 100 South Turnpike Road, at 6 p.m. on the following dates: Wednesday, Jan. 24; Monday, Jan. 29; Wednesday, Jan. 31; and Wednesday, Feb. 7.

Read more details on the proposed budget here and click here for Menzo’s entire budget presentation.

More information can be found at the school district’s website here.

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