001Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Hey, heat. Hey, heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Hey, heat. Hey, heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. N. Heat. Heat. Good evening. I would like to call to order this special meeting of the South Windsor Board of Education. Tonight is February 5th, 2026. Welcome everyone. Uh Dr. Carter, do you have any updates from our meeting on Tuesday? >> Sure. Um at the last meeting, Mr. Nettles inquired about per pupil spending. Uh, as you are aware, a state's calculations place South Windsor dead last in the DUIR for per pupil spending, meaning 20 other towns in our DUI spend more per pupil than we do. Um, and across the entire state, as you know, there are only 10 towns that spend less per pupil than we do. Uh, Mr. Nettle specifically asked how far
002away we are from the second to the last in our DUI. I believe he asked what would be how would we be tied for last was the phrase. Um in order to match per pupil spending of the second to the last district, we would need to add approximately $6.6 million to the FY25 budget. Um for your reference, Miss Turmerica calculated the difference in all the Durgby towns and I uh placed a hard copy of that chart at your seats. Um, board members also have asked me to speak to what the priorities would be if the board would decide to make an incremental increase to the budget. I looked at two scenarios, a $200,000 increase, and a $300,000 increase. The first scenario would include adding a social studies teacher at the high school, a behavior specialist
003at Eli Terry, and a behavior specialist at Timothy Edwards. That comes to approximately $212,000. In the second sum in the second scenario, we moved special education expenses currently relying on reserve funds to the operating budget. If we combine both those scenarios, that's approximately $318,000. And just to give board members the rationale in the public for for these priorities, um you may recall that the high school requested four content area teachers in this proposed budget. Only one position was included in the proposed budget and the other three were deferred to next year. We prioritized English based on class sizes and course offerings. However, the data for an additional social studies teacher is extremely compelling. We are turning more and more students away from requested courses and we are offering fewer electives to accommodate the courses that
004are impacted by increasing enrollment. Our schools, like many districts across the state, are experiencing an increase in students exhibiting disregulated and unsafe behaviors. The needs are currently most acute at the middle school and at Eli Terry, where we have district-wide special education programming. In response to student needs, the middle school requested an additional counselor and a special education teacher. Those were not included in the proposed budget. What I am proposing tonight is not the full solution, but rather a lowerc cost initiative to assist with student behaviors. In summary, the addition of a social studies teacher is in response to increasing enrollment. The addition of two behavior specialists addresses safety concerns and moving special education expenses off the reserve would result in a budget that is not reliant upon reserves and would further protect the reserves
005to mitigate future special education costs. So those are the priorities in a scenario, a $200,000 scenario and a $300,000 scenario. >> Thank you, Dr. Carter. Um, I think after our meeting on Tuesday, I agree. It seems that there is an interest across the board in increasing the budget that has been presented to us. Um, I personally appreciate that we are always able to count on Dr. Carter to provide us with an honest and defensible budget. Um, one that maintains the staff and programming that our town has come to expect and one that literally keeps the lights on. Um, it has also become clear over the past three years that I have been a board member uh that our schools require more based on the unique set of circumstances that we are dealing with around our
006enrollment growth. Year after year, Dr. Carter has also been clear that the budgets that we have passed are not adequate to move the schools forward um and are not keeping up with the issues caused by the enrollment growth. the list of FTEEs that we are that are unable to be funded by the budget grows every single year and we are not close to making a dent in that list. And finally, we find ourselves even further in a hole uh due to the $1.3 million budget cut from the council last year. Without that cut, the increase would be around 6 and a half%. Um so for this reason, I would like to start off by saying that I would be interested in meeting in the middle of the options that Dr. Carter has provided us. Um,
007and I feel like um looking at a $250,000 increase to the superintendent's budget um it it seems reasonable. It allows us to um look at these positions that are needed and even possibly look at um helping with the reserve funding. Um, I would like to open the floor up to other board members um who have thoughts on this. Miss Manily. >> Hi, thank you. Um, um, I recognize that the superintendent's budget of 7.91% increase is a lean and defensible number, particularly in a year when fixed costs such as utilities and basic comp operations continue to rise simply to maintain current services. Historically, the board has acted to adopt or defend the superintendent's proposed bud budget rather than to increase it. In fact, based on available um records, there is no indication that the South Windsor
008Board of Education has increased the superintendent so budget in the past 16 years that I can remember. Um more often, our role has been to protect the proposed budget as presented, especially when it moves to town council where reductions may have occurred. Recent budget trends provide important context for this conversation. Since 2023, budget requests have increased significantly from approximately 2% to nearly 8% largely because South Windsor has become an enrollment outlier in the state of Connecticut. These increases have not reflected new initiatives, but rather the cost of meeting enrollment demands and unavoidable obligations. Throughout this period, the board has exercised restraint, offering ch to choose not to add aspirational items such as expanding mental health supports or facility improvements in order to remain fiscally responsible and aligned with the superintendent's recommendations. This past cycle also
009highlighted the growing tension between district needs and external constraints. For your fiscal year 26, the gap between the board of education and town council was the largest in re recent history, resulting in a $ 1.35 million um some say reduction, some say not fully appropriated as outlined in the superintendent's presentation. Um contra contractual obligations, health and dental insurance, and special education costs alone established a starting fee of starting point of 7.07% 07% increase over last year's budget before any additional considerations were made. I believe our responsibilities as board members is not only to defend what is necessary, but to ensure our superintendent and her leadership team have the tools they need to move the district forward by supporting a modest increase to the overall propo proposal. We would not be directing specific expenditures, but rather
010signal signaling our priorities and providing flexibility. That flexibility would allow the superintendent to take steps through staffing or academic programming that would be able to be brought forward this cycle and would represent a deliberate shift from simply keeping up with or and intentionally advancing the fast and grow growing district that we have. Here's a calm, credible, defensible response to why now. Because these conditions are facing now are different than many we have in many years in past. Since 2023, South Windsor has become an enrollment outlier in Connecticut and recent budget increases have been driven almost entirely to the needs to keep up that pace with the growth and to meet unavoidable obligations such as contracts, insurance, and special ed. While these percentage increases appear large, they have largely been about maintaining services and not expanding
011them. At the same time, our multiple budget cycles, the board of education has exercised restraint again, adopting and defending the superintendent's proposed budget rather than increasing it. This has been very hard. That approach has been appropriate, but it has also meant that year after year, we have been focused on keeping up rather than getting ahead. Why now is really about recognizing that we are at a point right now where simply maintaining is no longer sufficient for a fast growing district that we are. A modest addition now is not about changing our governance model or setting an open-minded precedent. It's about intentionally giving the superintendent flexibility to address the needs that could not be brought forward this cycle and signaling to her that our priorities as a board of education is academic progress, not just operational
012and survival. Below are three responses. Um why not wait till next year? From a fiscal responsibility perspective, waiting another year increases risk rather than reducing the risks. Over the past several budget cycles, increasing have been almost always entirely to absorb enrollment growth, unavoidable and unavoidable costs. That approach minimizes short-term impact and creates long-term restraint. Delaying large targeted investments often leads to higher corrective costs later on through emergency staffing, increased reliance on outof district placements and/or budget gaps that have been expensive and resolved retrospectively. A modest investment now is a preventive measure that will support long-term fiscal stability. So a quick summary of that is responsibility stewardship means addressing pressures point early before they became higher cost problems. Does this set precedent to our future board of educations fiscal? No, it does not. This does not
013establish a standing precedent or alter the board of education's governor's role. Sound fiscal responsibility requires that each budget be evaluated independently based on the current conditions. It is a limited content content driven adjustment responding to sustained enrollment growth and constrained flexibility in but in recent budgets. The board of education will continue to respect the superintendent's authority over allocations while maintaining disciplines all all around this making decisions. Sorry. So in short, good stewardship is responsive, not automatic. This is a one-year decision and not the new rule. And that's what I feel. Thank you. >> Thank you, Miss Manily, Mr. Marks. >> Thank you. Um, so as we consider the proposed increase to the superintendent's recommended budget, um, and specifically as Chairwoman Corsy proposed $250,000, I want to start by saying to our taxpayers and our residents
014that this is not a decision that we take lightly. As Dr. Carter has emphasized and as members, this board have echoed this budget is not doing enough to fully address one of the biggest pressures facing our district, which is increasing enrollment. We are seeing growth across our schools and with that growth come strain on class sizes, staffing and student supports. We were elected to do what is best for our schools, our staff and our students. That means planning for needs we know are here and not postponing them. Speaking personally as someone who is quite recently a student in this district, I think I uh about what I would have wanted from a board of education budget if I knew what a board of education budget was at the time. Um, I would have wanted to
015know that my education was being prioritized, that class sizes were manageable, and that supports were in place to help me succeed. The best way we can demonstrate that same commitment today is by addressing enrollment pressures now and stopping stopping the practice of kicking the can down the road on positions we know will inevitably be needed in next year's budget. For those reasons, I fully support the $250,000 increase, the priorities Dr. Carter has outlined, and the bipartisan approach that brought us here. That said, I do want to note one concern. Even with this increase, we are still relying on reserves to balance this budget, uh, specifically $107,000. And while this adjustment would allow us to pay down roughly $40,000 of the planned reserve use, we would still be drawing on reserves for ongoing operating costs. In
016my view, it is not fiscally responsible to rely on reserves in this way, especially when just two years ago, we worked hard to fully wean ourselves off of using reserves in the budget. If it were up to me, I would support increasing the budget further to cover at least half, if not all of the remaining reserve use so we can minimize or fully eliminate that reliance. This is particularly important as federal funding streams continue to become more volatile, medical insurance costs continue to skyrocket and special education costs remain inherently unpredictable from year to year. Those ex external pressures make it even more critical that we maintain healthy industry recommended reserve levels for long-term financial stability and risk management. I also hope that the town council recognizes the import importance of this increase we are proposing.
017This is a targeted adjustment designed to respond to enrollment and student need, not an arbitrary addition. So, uh in closing, fully funding this budget, including this increase means we are doing our job uh by supporting our schools today while planning responsibly for tomorrow. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Marks. Miss Shaw. >> Hi. Good evening, everyone. Uh, I want to thank Dr. Carter and the central office uh for the thoughtful and disciplined work that went into this budget. The proposed 7.91 increase reflects what's needed to maintain the strong educational program that South Windsor is known for, but not to expand it. The majority of this increase is driven by contractual obligations, healthcare costs, and rising special education needs, which are largely outside the district's control. I support the proposed budget because any reduction would likely
018result in program cuts or staffing impacts that could affect classroom instruction and student services outcomes I believe our community would not support. I would also add that even with this proposal the district continues to operate under real constraints with over $2 million in deferred FTE requests across our schools. South W South Windsor performs in the top 20% statewide. Yet, when compared within our DRGP or group, we still see opportunities to strengthen proficiency outcomes. Continued investment is essential, not only to maintain our standing, but to improve academic results for all students. Importantly, these decisions are always made with careful consideration of the impact on our taxpayers. balancing fiscal responsibility with the educational needs for our students. For these reason, I support increasing the proposed budget by 250,000 as an effort to move our district forward. This
019targeted investment allow us to begin addressing deferred needs while continuing South Windsor's tradition of responsible stewardship and academic excellence. Thank you. >> Thank you, Miss Shaw. Should we just go down the down the table? Anyone? Mr. Armstrong. >> Yeah, I'm going to do this a little more personally. Um, from starting this starting doing this this year, um, I was always wondering what does the board really do? And it's only in the debates over the um budget this week that I realized the awesome responsibility that I have. We all have as board members. I never quite got that for some maybe naive reason to lease the liberations of this week that this is a damn important job. Um, and I and I I I just would say that I'm honored to be on this group. I'm
020honored to be associated with everybody in this group. Um, I'm I'm grateful um for all the teachers and the folks that have presented here. I'm incredibly grateful for the superintendent and for her staff for all the work that they've done. Um, by the way, nice job with the blue shirt, the red tie combo. That works. Kudos on the fashion sense there. Um, but and I'm also honored. I would be honored to support the 7.9%. That's a justifiable, easily justifiable budget. We could all support that, I think, if we had to. But as others are saying, you know, um we need to do more than the the the the phrase, you know, keep the lights on. I really don't think in the long run we could keep the lights on and I think over if you
021keep doing that all of a sudden that has drastic in that could potentially have drastic impact. So, I would also u support an a proposed increase of $250,000 to give the superintendent extra funding to use for our budget needs. Has the superintendent and her staff have done? They've allocated what to me seems like wise use of that extra money. Um, I I would also definitely say that I'm aware and I'm I'm guessing everybody in this room aware that the town has multiple other ed other financial needs that the certainly the town council will have to consider. Um, and I I realize that that any budget increase of any type has tax implications. And I personally don't think that personally they haven't considered that. But but but I I I I still think in some way
022that we have to move the needle forward on what the school can provide. So again, I would enthusiastically support an increase of $250,000. >> Thank you, Mr. Armstrong. Mr. Caldwell, >> good evening. And again, thank you, Dr. Carter, and to all her staff and the great job. I'm going to be even more casual, which is how I usually am. Um, when I sat down with the budget and I looked at it and I did some quick numbers at the original 7.91 and then just to keep the lights on is a 5.64% which only leaves 2.27%. I am fully in favor of the $250,000 proposed increase. Um, one of the things I will say as a brother and uh, watching my mother struggle in the mid60s and into the 70s and late 70s of a a
023special education sister. Um, and for my mom, one of the biggest things that she did was to put my sister through the regular education system and that really helped to normalize her life and make it a lot easier. I mean, there was there were some struggles along the way, but special education is near and dear to my heart. So, that's something that I never want to ever see cut out of the budget or at all actually. And now some of the things that we're using for reserves make me a little nervous, but I think the $250,000 is fair and uh I fully support that and I can't say much more than my colleagues did here and this is just a fantastic group to be with and I certainly appreciate being on the board. Thank you.
024>> Thank you, Mr. Caldwell, Miss Yanoway. Um, as I assume everyone's heard by now, um, it has been brought up ad nauseium, uh, over the past several years, um, and in this very meeting that South Windsor is experiencing unprecedented growth in our schools. As, um, the public can see if they look to slide 11 of Dr. Carter's budget presentation on January 28th. We are one of two school districts in the state of Connecticut that are experiencing more than a 20% enrollment increase over the past 10 years. And unlike Eastford's 39 students, South Windsor saw an increase of 969. The school district experiencing the next highest growth is Franklin with a 10% 10.6% growth representing 18 students. Not to belabor the point, but the unique circumstances we find ourselves in must be addressed in context. The
025more students we have requires more teachers, more paraprofessionals, more staff like speech language pathologists and board certified behavioral support analysts and specialists to meet students individualized education plans. It means more custodial and security staff to keep our schools safe and clean. For the past several years, as Dr. Carter and many of my fellow board members have shared at this po and prior meetings. We have been kicking the can down the road, delaying hiring necessary staff to keep up with the demands of educating the students in our town. If every request that the principles at our school sent to Dr. Carter this year had been included in the budget she presented, we would be looking at a11,374,461 budget, a 12.64% increase. That increase would fully staff our schools, fund the Medicaid and special education reserves that
026were used to patch the cuts that the town council made to last year's budget, and address needed investments in building and site projects. Additionally, it should be noted that that sizable margin that excuse me, by a sizable margin, South Windsor spends less per pupil than every other town in our Durk. In fact, there are only 10 school districts in the state with a lower net um current expenditure per pupil. Last year, it was suggested that South Windsor's budget should align more with the towns of Glastonbury, Simsbury, and Avon, all of which saw declining enrollment over the past 10 years. As Dr. Carter shared on slide seven of her budget um presentation, were we to match this their per pupil spending, we would be looking at a budget increase of between 12.6 and 14.8%, which fully
027funding um the requests that the principles put forward would clearly align with. Now, Dr. Carter and her team did not ask for a 12.64% increase in the budget. Uh, the budget presented of 7.91% uh has been stripped down to the barest essentials. This is the bulk of contractual the bulk of which is contractual obligations for teachers, staff, and special education. Only 0.17% reflect staffing increases to accommodate the rising school enrollment covering two new teachers. There are over 30 staffing requests that we will need that are not included in the budget Dr. Carter presented. That is over 30 positions that we are deferring to next year or the year after or the one after that. In essence, the 7.91% budget increase proposed does not meet the needs of educators, students, and families. This is why I
028ardently support increasing the proposed budget. uh what Chairperson Corsy just proposed, a uh $250,000 increase is a reasonable step to meet our increasing needs. Um and if my back of the napkin math is correct, this adds less than 0.4% to the 7.91 uh% that was initially requested, and I will happily let someone who does better math than me check that. Um, while this increase clearly does not keep up with enrollment and fails to meet um to meet to adequately meet the needs of our district's educators, students, and families, it will give Dr. Carter and her team some extra space to begin, if I can steal, a turn of phrase from Dr. from Chairperson Corsy um clearing the log jam. Um this is an incremental step towards fully funding and staffing our schools so that we
029can um both address the needs of our district and work to mitigate the financial impact on the taxpayers and residents as much as possible. When Dr. Carter presented the budget on January 28th, she asked the board of education, the town council, and by extension every member of the South Windsor community to consider the budget as a philosophical question. Does South Windsor value education enough to invest in it, to fund our schools, invest in our educators and students? Or do we wish to keep maintaining the bare minimum, making sure the lights stay on and our current programming is maintained? Or have we decided that investing in our future by providing high quality the highquality education that drew so many families to our town is too much to ask? Speaking for myself, I consider education, investing in
030our schools, teachers, and in our students, is one of the most important things that we as a community can do. While it might may be cliche to say, I'll say it anyways. The children are our future, and I believe that we should invest in that future. >> Thank you, Miss Yano. Who wants it? Mr. Nles. >> Yeah, we'll let Paul wrap it up. Um, I mean, not much left to say. Um, I fully support the uh the increase. Um, I will say I think it's wolffully inadequate. Um, when I see the 6,635,000 number, um, it does two things for me. It makes me proud. Makes me really proud of our staff, our teachers, our facilities managers, everybody involved that we are able to have successful district. You know, we're in the top 20% as people
031are saying, um, in some of the testing numbers. Um, but but what if, you know, what if we tied for last? Like I still find that I'm I'm kind of embarrassed, too. Like I don't want to tell people that. It's crazy. It's like telling other people that you don't buy clothes for your kids cuz they can wear the ones from last year. Like I know it's embarrassing. So I I struggle with these emotions. Um but certainly the 250,000 is is a great stepping stone um in the right direction. If we can show ourselves up financially, I think that's a really good step. Um, and we can work towards next year. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Nuttles. Mr. Mackey, >> I'm good. I'm just kidding. >> All right. I am fully on board with uh
032what Chairwoman Corsy and my fellow board members had proposed as additions to the budget. As I said the night Dr. Carter presented it, at what point can we defend not doing more? There will never be a perfect time. So even if this doesn't check off everything on our list, it is still meaningful. Progress does not require perfection. By investing more, particularly in our staff, we support our teachers, strengthen academics and student learning, and take a meaningful step forward in what will be a long multi-year process of better supporting our schools. As Mr. Mark said, "Every decision being made is with our residents in mind, including the tax impact because the same people who want strong schools are the same people who have to pay for them. That balance matters. I believe this budget reflects a
033responsible approach. It's imperfect, but clearly moving us back in the right direction. Uh, everyone has clearly said everything that uh I think that we're trying to uh that I'm trying to say. Um, so I'll save a little bit more of my my talking for another meeting, my microphone time for another meeting. Uh, but at the end of the day, this board is unanimous in its belief that our schools and our students deserve forward progress, and this year's process reflects the shared commitment. Lastly, uh, Mrs. Churka, I continue to be impressed by your depth of knowledge of that entire book in front of you. I remember our first budget meeting and and at the time chairwoman Manili pointed out that thing and I didn't know what the heck it was and at first I thought maybe
034it was just for show but I've seen that there's a lot of stuff in there. Um and the entire team on uh to my left your preparation and experience does not go unnoticed. Um and I was I've hesitated if I was going to say this publicly or not. I've kind of gone back and forth on what I really want to do. Um, but I've had a personal supervisor in the past that I thought would consistently point out uh when when there was success or good work done. And one of the things that I try to do in my life is is usually when when somebody's doing really good stuff that it's important to acknowledge that even if they don't want to hear it or even if people think that, you know, I'm sucking up to
035the team over here. I tried to think of a really good way of saying this appropriately, but no, if I don't work for them, so I don't have to say this if I don't want to. So, I really I say this because I mean it. Um, Dr. Carter, I think something that stands out to me and and it's something that I don't think anybody else notices. Um, but there is a there is a special trust that I have noticed and I I watched when we were all asking all these questions the other night and I like to stare at their faces to see what they do. Um, there's a special trust in this team and it's between you and your staff specifically. I've noticed that during this time and obviously we have a lot of
036meetings and we see each other you know often so it's there all the time but specifically during this meeting where I think there is um I don't want to say nerves but there the unpredictability of what we might say and to make sure that you're prepared because you also don't want to say something because you know if you say the wrong thing somebody in the universe out there is going to get you. So I think there's a lot of extra pressure even though you really know your stuff. But when I watch and I think it's really it's commendable that the question always goes to you but a true leader is comfortable letting her team or their team jump in and answer question when it's their area of expertise. Um, and it it just really feels
037and it looks like a real team when it when when they can tell that it might be something you might need their help in, they are ready to go and prepared. And I think that that comes back to the light type of leadership you have. Um, and I and and to me a strong leader isn't about just doing all the talking or have the eyes on them all the time. It's somebody that can teach and show and allow others to shine when uh it's very obvious that every question could go through you and and and it could be that way, but you uh allow that to happen. And the reason I kind of hesitated about saying this is I understand that maybe this isn't directly in the budget. But if you don't have strong leadership
038and you and I and I've had this in my own career and life, things can fall apart pretty quickly. And what what's most important is what you lose is the motivation behind doing well. And I think when you have somebody that makes you want to work harder and do better, uh, everybody's going to shine. And that that's going to trickle all the way down. And I'll be honest, I've heard from teachers and people that have watched our last few meetings. And one of the things I think they continue to point out is that all of us, we we we've done our work and we've done our homework to do this. but also people who are living this. I just think it I I I I think I would have regretted not saying this publicly. Um
039just how important I think it is for our community to have leaders that actually care and work together and nobody's trying to one up each other um and trust each other. And I just think that that's really really important. And again, that's not in here and this isn't in this binder, but it is if you really understand what it takes to put this together and then implement it to the 5,000 kids we have and a thousand teachers or whatever we have. So, I just some people might find not find this as to be a big deal, but I do. So, uh that's that's it. I support everything Genevieve and the team said, but I'll save the rest for next meeting. >> Thank you, Mr. Mackey. Um, all right. Good stuff, team. Um, I guess so
040I I'll talk again. This doesn't happen often. Um, but I guess just to close, I wanted to just thank you all um for all the work that you're doing. Um, it is clear that I I think we all recognize that the moment our schools are in is one that requires a willingness to act. Um, I do believe that this additional increase of the $250,000, I think it is responsible. Um, I think adding the the staff uh clearing the log jam is responsible. Um, reducing the reliance on special education reserves, it is responsible um so that we can fund ongoing operations and um using just these one-time funds to cover recurring expenses. It's just not sustainable. Um we do recognize the burden on taxpayers and the gravity of what we are um suggesting and potentially proposing.
041Uh none of us at these tables take that lightly. Um but we also recognize that we face a challenge that is unique in our state with the sustained enrollment growth and all of the needs that come along with that. And ignoring that reality today only creates larger costs and harder decisions year after year as we are already currently experiencing. Um, so our responsibility is to balance the fiscal discipline with educational excellence and I really do think that this decision hits that mark. Um, and I think while we are not taking a formal vote tonight, um, I I'm hearing a consensus. Is there a formal way to acknowledge a consensus? >> No. I mean, obviously the team here has listened to what you've said and it's clear there seems to be a general consensus around that,
042but you're right. There would be no formal vote tonight and you would vote at the regular meeting in February in a few weeks and that would make the approval of the budget official at that meeting. >> But it's helpful that for the team to we have a sense of the direction that this board is is going and that's helpful for our thinking and planning. >> All right, sounds good. Is there any other business that we need to tend to tonight? >> I think we're good. Can I have a motion to adjurnn? >> All in favor? Good night.