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Colchester Public Schools
127 Norwich Avenue, Suite 202
Colchester, CT 06415
Daniel P. Sullivan, III Phone (860) 537-7208
Superintendent of Schools dsullivan@colchesterct.org
March 17, 2023
Dear Students, Staff and Families:
This week I had the privilege of a ending the PTO mee ng at Jack Jackter and the Board
of Directors mee ng at Castle. At both mee ngs, I received quite a few ques ons about
the budget, the budget process and statements of concern. I am choosing to write to
you today, because I imagine that the folks at those mee ngs aren’t the only ones with
these ques ons and concerns.
Why is the Board and Central Office threatening to cut music and full day
Kindergarten?
We haven’t threatened to cut either program in the budget process. The only posi ons
proposed for elimina on in the budget process were a 1.0 PE posi on at WJ, 1.0 World
Language and 1.0 Business at Bacon Academy. Those recommenda ons were included in
the Superintendent’s budget presented on February 7, 2023.
If that’s the case, why is the district using scare tac cs by talking about program
reduc ons to try to pass the budget?
That certainly isn’t my inten on as Superintendent or that of the Board of Educa on. As
indicated in the ar cle I wrote for the Rivereast and shared with families last week, at
the Board of Finance Public Hearing on Tuesday, March 7, 2023, I was asked what it
would look like if the district only received a 5% increase. If there were a 5% increase to
the budget, rather than the proposed 9.83% increase, it would result in reduc ons to the
amount of approximately $2 million. I was responding to the ques on to illustrate a
series of possible reduc ons that would only bring us down to a 6.4% increase.
Why did you choose Band and Kindergarten over others?
If we had to reduce the budget by over 4%, we would need to eliminate posi ons as 61%
of our budget is staff. This in turn would require us to iden fy programs that we are not
required to offer. Without ques on, we see the value in all day kindergarten but it is not
a state requirement. We also take pride in the strength of the music program, but we
could reduce the band posi ons as we also offer general music.
To be clear, the list was more extensive than just band and kindergarten as it also
included maximizing contractual class size limits in grades 1-5, and had cer fied
reduc ons at Bacon Academy just to name a few.
Does that mean these programs are in jeopardy?
At this point in me, we haven’t received any recommenda ons from the Board of
Finance rela ve to the budget number they plan to forward to the town mee ng and
ul mately to referendum.
Why is the district pu ng a spotlight on special educa on?
Special educa on is but one of a few lines in the proposed budget that have increased
since last year for which the District is obligated to pay (see below for a discussion of
other lines that have been increased over last year). The Board of Educa on and district
leadership recognize that it is our moral responsibility and legal obliga on to support the
unique learning needs of our special educa on students. We have highlighted the costs
associated with mee ng their needs because the Board of Finance has asked for a
detailed explana on in wri ng.
Given that request, can you please explain what’s going on in special educa on?
First and foremost, Special Educa on is a legal obliga on and is non-nego able. Eligible
students may begin receiving services as early as age 3 and con nue un l gradua on or
when they age-out at 22, as determined annually by the Planning and Placement Team
(PPT) based on their individual needs and con nued eligibility. The District is obligated to
provide the special educa on and related services required to meet an individual
student’s needs.
Why does the Special Educa on line change so dras cally?
Many factors such as:
● Who has aged-in/out?
● Who moved-in/out of the District?
● Who has been iden fied as in need of special educa on services?
● Whose programming needs have changed (LRE)?
● Who needs complex services that the District is unable to provide in-district?
● Who needs extended day/school year services?
Why did the district add a Special Educa on Supervisor?
This decision was made in response to the comprehensive independent review of the
Special Educa on program conducted by InCompliance last year, which included
feedback to provide addi onal support at the building level from staff with an exper se
in Special Educa on.
Is it true that the salary line for special educa on teachers is down and the salaries of
administrators have increased?
Yes. Our new Business Director discovered that the district could increase our medicaid
reimbursement by shi ing a school psychologist, an occupa onal therapist and a social
worker currently being paid through grants back into the budget, and in turn we are
paying those special educa on teachers via the grant.
The salary line for administrators has increased due to contractual obliga ons. They are
scheduled to receive a 2.50% raise in July.
Are there new programs or posi ons in the budget?
Yes, the budget includes two new posi ons that were funded by grants. One
kindergarten teacher and the Special Educa on Supervisor referenced above. The
budget does also include the addi on of 4 safety officers (not police) at a total cost of
approximately $150,000.
Did we have other posi ons funded by grants?
Yes, the following five posi ons were removed from the budget a few years ago and
were temporarily funded via s mulus grants. They are now returning to the budget.
These are not new posi ons.
1.0 Kindergarten Teacher 1.0 Special Educa on
1.0 Preschool Teacher 0.6 Reading Specialist 0.5 Child Development Associate
How did we wind up in a posi on that we need such a large amount of money to
maintain current programs and services?
While this budget is largely a “status quo” budget, the increase is driven by:
● 3.70% increase in salaries due to contractual obliga ons
● 1.26 % increase in insurance obliga ons
● 1.55% increase in special educa on services
● 2.54% increase in out of district tui on (special educa on)
The remaining 2.26% is from small increases across all other line items.
If the community supports this increase, should we expect an 8% or 9% request again
next year?
No. According to the projec on run by our Business Director, if current expenditures
remain stable and we don’t add new programs or posi ons, we would need a 3%
increase to maintain the status quo in Fiscal Year 24-25. There are only 2.0 Registered
Behavioral Therapist posi ons that we an cipate shi ing from grants to the budget in
Fiscal year 24-25.
Where can I find more informa on on the budget?
Please visit h ps://www.colchesterct.org/board_of_educa on/educa on_budget
Final Thoughts
It is my goal to establish a rela onship of mutual respect and trust with staff, students
and families. It is my hope that le ers such as this, coupled with the informa on online
and my a endance at PTO mee ngs, etc. will help achieve that goal. Please know that I
am grateful for the ques ons from all members of our school community, and for your
par cipa on in the budget process.
Please feel free to email me at DSullivan@colchesterct.org or call my office at
860-537-7208.
You are also welcome to reach out to Assistant Superintendent Dr. Charles E. Hewes at
CHewes@colchesterct.org and office number 860-537-7268.
Sincerely,
Daniel P. Sullivan, III
Superintendent of Schools