Excellence in Every School. Inspiring Every Child.
WATERFORD PUBLIC SCHOOLS
FY 27 Superintendent’s Recommended Budget
Mission Statement
Waterford Public Schools is a community of learners that fosters and supports high aspirations, ensuring every student acquires the skills and knowledge necessary to be a responsible citizen, prepared to contribute and succeed in an ever-changing world.
Rigorous Academic Program
Comprehensive SocialEmotional Learning Approach
Expansive Arts, Co-Curricular & Athletics Programs
High Quality Professional Learning for Staff
WATERFORD IN THE NEWS
Excellence in Every School. Inspiring Every Child.
CORE CONCEPT OF CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Action
Assess Current Conditions
Develop a Vision of Success
Close the Gap: Strategic Plan and School Growth Plans With Specific Action Steps Theory of
Excellence in Every School. Inspiring Every Child.
Return on Investment (ROI)
Performance versus Dollars Spent
Excellence in Every School. Inspiring Every Child.
NEXT GENERATIONACCOUNTABILITY INDEX
Indicators
1a. ELA Performance Index - All Students
1b. ELA Performance Index - High Needs Students
1c. Math Performance Index - All Students
1d. Math Performance Index - High Needs Students
1e. Science Performance Index - All Students
1f. Science Performance Index - High Needs Students
2a. ELA Academic Growth - All Students
2b. ELA Academic Growth - High Needs Students
2c. Math Academic Growth - All Students
2d. Math Academic Growth - High Needs Students
2e. Progress Toward English Proficiency - Literacy
2f. Progress Toward English Proficiency - Oral
4a. Chronic Absenteeism - All Students
4b. Chronic Absenteeism - High Needs Students
5. Preparation for CCR - Percent Taking Courses
6. Preparation for CCR - Percent Passing Exams
7. On-track to High School Graduation
8. 4-year Graduation: All Students
9. 6-year Graduation: High Needs Students
10. Postsecondary Entrance
11. Physical Fitness (estimated participation rate = 93.6%)
12. Arts Access
Excellence in Every School. Inspiring Every Child.
ALL K-12 PUBLIC SCHOOL
ROI WATERFORD EXCELS…
• Well Above the State-Average in Performance
• Slightly Above State-Average in Spending
Waterford – Top 25% in Performance of all K-12 Districts in CT
Dollars Spent per Pupil VS. Each Point on the Accountability Index
Excellence in Every School. Inspiring Every Child.
DISTRICT REFERENCE GROUPS (DRG) VARIABLES
• Income - Median Household Income
• Education - Percentage of parents with a bachelor’s degree or higher
• Occupation - Percentage of students with parents aged 16 or older, employed, and holding jobs in executive, managerial, and professional specialty occupations
• Family Structure - Percentage of students living with families in a single parent household or in non-family households
• Poverty - Percentage of students from families with incomes eligible to receive free or reduced-price meals
• Home Language - Percentage of students whose families speak a language other than English at home
• District Enrollment - Gross enrollment for the local public school district
Excellence in Every School. Inspiring Every Child.
• Berlin
• Bethel
DISTRICT GROUP D –
26 DISTRICTS (2023)
• Newington
• North Branford
• Branford
• Clinton
• Coventry
• Cromwell
• East Haddam
• Enfield
• Hamden
• Ledyard
• Mansfield
• Milford
• New Milford
• Old Saybrook
• Region 4
• Region 12
• Region 16
• Region 19
• Seymour
• Shelton
• Wallingford
• Waterford
• Watertown
• Windsor
Excellence in Every School. Inspiring Every Child.
DRG D TOWNS
Waterford
Waterford
Waterford
CT BEST PLACES TO LIVE
The town's overall Niche grade was listed as "A-" and it also received an "A-" level grade for its public schools and being good for families.
https://patch.com/connecticut/waterford/waterford-named-one-top-100-places-live-ct-2025-rankings
Excellence in Every School. Inspiring Every Child.
WPS RESPONDS…
This budget continues our investment in meeting the needs of our students in 2026-2027… AND TO KEEP EXCELLING!
TRENDS IN THE WPS WHO ATTENDS OUR SCHOOLS….
TOTAL ENROLLMENT
Excellence in Every School. Inspiring Every Child.
TEN-YEAR TREND BY RACE / ETHNICITY
Excellence in Every School. Inspiring Every Child.
MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS (ML)
Excellence in Every School. Inspiring Every Child.
LANGUAGES IN OUR SCHOOLS 2025-2026
24 different languages
Albanian Hindi Portuguese - #4
Arabic Japanese Russian
Bulgarian Khmer Spanish - #1
Burmese Korean Tagalog
Cantonese Lao Thai
Cebuano Mandarin - #3 Tibetan
Greek Nepali Ukrainian
Gujarati Polish Urdu - #2
Over 11% of our families have a primary home language other than English.
Excellence in Every School. Inspiring Every Child.
NEW BILINGUAL PROGRAMS
Great Neck 24-25 & Oswegatchie in 25-26
20 or more students with same native language
There are 62 districts in CT that have bilingual programs.
What this means for WPS:
• Instruction in English as well as student’s native language
• Enable students to achieve English proficiency and academic mastery
• Use of English should continuously increase
• Annual plan submitted to CSDE
• Additional professional development for all teachers
• Potential staffing implications
Excellence in Every School. Inspiring Every Child.
SPECIAL
EDUCATION STUDENTS
Excellence in Every School. Inspiring Every Child.
FREE / REDUCED MEALS
Excellence in Every School. Inspiring Every Child.
CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM TREND DATA
Chronic = Absent more than 10% of the school year
Excellence in Every School. Inspiring Every Child.
WPS SCHOOL-BASED HEALTH CLINICS
806 visits through 12/31/25
WHY IS THIS DATA IMPORTANT?
BOARD GOALS:
Be a district for all students… It takes resources to do this.
Excellence in Every School. Inspiring Every Child.
THE BUDGET
Excellence in Every School. Inspiring Every Child.
COMPETITIVE GRANTS OVERVIEW
FISCAL YEAR $ GRANTS OBTAINED
$920K in Grants in Last 6 Years REDUCES OUR BUDGET REQUEST * DECREASE DUE TO COVID-19
WHAT THIS BUDGET ACCOMPLISHES
• Respond to Current Conditions and Emerging Needs
• Meeting emerging student / family needs
• Emerging IT needs
• Provide a High-Quality Education
• Clear, Articulated 6-12 Career Pathways
• Address our Strategic Plan and Board Goals
• Make every effort to educate students in the WPS
• Maintain Current Programs and Offerings, including Athletics and Extra-Curriculars
• Maintain Reasonable Class Sizes
• Provide Quality Professional Development
• Sustain our Curriculum Renewal Cycle
• Execute our Preventive Maintenance Program
Excellence in Every School. Inspiring Every Child.
MAIN BUDGET DRIVERS
Excellence in Every School. Inspiring Every Child.
INSTRUCTIONAL SERVICES OVERVIEW
FTEs
Reductions
(3.00) Elementary Classroom
Needs / Investments
1.0 Special Education (1.00) Technology Coordinator
(.5) Technology Education – WHS
.95 Secondary Music
.5 Technology Education - CLMS
.13 Drama/Theater – WHS
.05 Family Consumer Science
NET REDUCTION OF 1.87 CERTIFIED FTEs ($200K)
Excellence in Every School. Inspiring Every Child.
BACKGROUND ON SPECIAL EDUCATION REQUEST
This request seeks funding for one additional special education teacher at the middle school level to ensure compliance with IEP service requirements, maintain instructional quality, and meet the complex academic and behavioral needs of students with disabilities in the general education classroom setting. This investment supports both district goals and state-mandated outcomes for students with disabilities by ensuring the provision of individualized, high-quality instruction in the least restrictive environment.
Excellence in Every School. Inspiring Every Child.
BACKGROUND ON MUSIC TEACHER REQUEST
Over the past several years, student participation in secondary music ensembles has rebounded and grown significantly. This growth reflects renewed student interest, successful recruitment and retention efforts by staff, and the value students and families place on music as part of a wellrounded educational experience. At the same time, these gains have placed increasing demands on the existing secondary music staffing model. Current enrollment levels and instructional complexity have reached a point where the existing structure is no longer sustainable without impacting access, instructional quality, or program balance. In 2025–26, the district implemented a revised staffing approach in which a high school music teacher also supports middle school instruction through small-group lessons, co-teaching, and targeted intervention. While effective as a temporary solution, this model is not sustainable long-term and does not restore general music access or fully absorb continued enrollment growth.
Excellence in Every School. Inspiring Every Child.
INSTRUCTIONAL SERVICES
111 – Salaries, Certified $ 610,979
121 – Temporary Pay, Certified $ 85,958
TOTAL $ 696,937
• 111 - Contractual Increases for Certified Staff
• Align Substitute Teacher Line to Actuals / Trend - $77K
• Decrease of 1.87 FTEs
Excellence in Every School. Inspiring Every Child.
ELEMENTARY STAFFING PROJECTIONS
Excellence in Every School. Inspiring Every Child.
Needs / Investments
• 1.0 IT Systems Administrator Position$75K
• 1.0 Family-School Liaison - $45K
Excellence in Every School. Inspiring Every Child.
BACKGROUND ON NEW IT POSITION
Software Systems Administrator
This position will assist with the administration of two critical systems within the District, PowerSchool and ClassLink. This new position directly supports staff and students and is responsible for ensuring the integrity, security, and performance of these vital systems.
• Assist with the development and enhancement of the PowerSchool platform
• Lead the development and enhancement of the Classlink platform
• Assist with and complete state reporting including, but not limited to: PSIS, ED166, CRDC, andAttendance
• Monitoring and troubleshooting: Proactively identifying and resolving technical issues to minimize disruptions in teaching and learning
• Gather and analyze K-12 data to share with stakeholders
• Support staff and students: Provide timely support for any issues related to user accounts, system access, or application performance
• Data management: Ensure that data flows smoothly across systems, including PowerSchool’s Data Warehouse and other platforms.
Excellence in Every School. Inspiring Every Child.
BACKGROUND ON NEW FAMILY-SCHOOL LIAISON POSITION
Family-School Liaison
The role is designed to address growing student and family needs related to attendance and chronic absenteeism, engagement, multilingual access, and social-emotional barriers that require an innovative approach. While teachers, administrators, and student services staff work diligently to support families, the scope and increasing intensity of these needs exceed what can reasonably be addressed within existing roles and structures.
• Provides tools and supports to help families be strong partners in their child(ren)’s education.
• Helps address issues and concerns, such as chronic absenteeism.
• Provides information about community-based programs and resources.
• Supports families in navigating school programs, services, policies and procedures.
• Facilitates meetings and workshops, and coordinates school/community events.
Excellence in Every School. Inspiring Every Child.
SALARY INCREASE BREAKDOWN
INSTRUCTIONALAND SUPPORT SERVICES
Excellence in Every School. Inspiring Every Child.
TRANSPORTATION
Accounts $ Increase/Decrease
510 – Transportation, Pupil $ 145,427
627 – Transportation Supplies ( $ 22,199 )
TOTAL $ 123,228
• 510 – Contractual Rate Increase
• 627 - Diesel and Fuel – Market Rates
Excellence in Every School. Inspiring Every Child.
• 560 & 563 – Based on Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) • 560 – Decrease based on Changes in State Funding Levels and Enrollment Trends
OTHER PURCHASED SERVICES
580 – Travel and Conferences
10,548
– Other Purchased Services $ 17,557
$ 19,831
• 580 – Contractual Rate Increase on Athletics Travel • 580 – Trend on Usage and Increased Costs to Attend Workshops • 590 – Trend and Rate Increases
Excellence in Every School. Inspiring Every Child.
SOFTWARE BREAKDOWN FOR FY27
Software Category
Student Assessment
$ Spend % Spend Examples
$ 26K 3%
Curriculum Related
$ 217K 23%
Cyber Security
IT Operating Systems
$ 140K 15%
$ 99K 11%
School System
Special Education
$ 400K 42%
Aimsweb, iReady, MAP
Online Texts, Newsela, SeeSaw, Edgenuity, Lexia Reading
Multifactor Authentication, Firewall, Content Filter, Disaster Recovery
Google Education, Single-Sign On, WiFi, Licensing
Financial Software, BoardDocs, Background Checks, Papercut, PowerSchool, SNAP, Translation
$ 10K 1% CTSEDS, Dyslexia Software
Student Safety
$ 43K 5%
Total $ 935K 100%
Gaggle, Security Camera System, Visitor Check-in
Excellence in Every School. Inspiring Every Child.
641 – Textbooks $ 24,500 642 – Library Books and Periodicals ( $ 1,174 ) 690 – Other Supplies/Materials ( $ 7,140 ) TOTAL $ 16,186 • 641 – Trend and Market Price
• 642 – Minor Increases to Support Non-Fiction at WHS
• 690 – Approx. $10K Budgeted for Vape Detection at CLMS
• 690 – Adjusted Health Offices Supplies to Actuals
• Tech Plan Device Replacement moved to Capital
• Sound-proofing at one Elementary School
• Kiln Replacements at WHS and CLMS
• High Jump, Pole Vault, and Long Jump Replacement/Installation
• Music Instrument Replacements for End-of-Life Instruments
• Continued Investment in Career Pathways at WHS
Excellence in Every School. Inspiring Every Child.
DUES &
810 – Dues & Fees ( $ 8 )
( $ 8 )
• Rate Driven
Excellence in Every School. Inspiring Every Child.
MAIN BUDGET DRIVERS
Excellence in Every School. Inspiring Every Child.
ROI WATERFORD EXCELS…
• Well Above the State-Average in Performance
• Slightly Above State-Average in Spending
Waterford – Top 25% in Performance of all K-12 Districts in CT
Dollars Spent per Pupil VS. Each Point on the Accountability Index
Excellence in Every School. Inspiring Every Child.
COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
in Every School. Inspiring Every Child.
PRIDE IN OUR STUDENTS,TEAM & COMMUNITY
Excellence in Every School. Inspiring Every Child.
Thank you for believing in our staff, students and families of Waterford.
Your continued support will help us to provide exceptional programs for our students, preparing them for success and the best opportunity at a better life. THANK YOU!
Excellence in Every School. Inspiring Every Child.