Weekly Message from the Superintendent

Superintendent's Weekly Message - January 16, 2026

Dear SPS Community:

On Tuesday, January 20, Chief Financial Officer Ryan Fealey and I will present the Superintendent’s Proposed FY27 Budget to the Board of Education. During that meeting, we will show how significant increases in fixed costs including contractual wages (+$7.8 million) healthcare benefits (+$7.6 million), and special education (+$7.0 million) would require nearly an 8% increase in the operating budget to maintain all programs, services, and staff we have today.

We will be proposing more than $11 million in reductions to bring the requested FY27 budget increase down to 5.4%. This request is in line with the largest single-year SPS budget increase (5.48%) approved by City Boards during the last decade. The $11 million in proposed reductions will reflect $3 million in adjustments necessary to fund the Board-mandated return to the 8-Block A/B high school schedule.

Should the City Boards approve only the increase we received last year (4.93%) or further reduce the increase to the 10-year average (2.95%), the district will need to identify as much as $8.5 million more in cuts during budget reallocation in May.

The agenda and zoom link for the January 20 BOE meeting will be posted here at least 24 hours prior to the meeting.

Those who want to learn more about the FY27 budget process are invited to join us for community information sessions:

January 21, 2026 at 6:30 pm: In-person at the SPS Welcome Center. This is the monthly Café con la Super meeting presented in Spanish with English interpretation. Click here to let us know you will attend.
January 22, 2026 at 7 pm: Via Zoom. This is the January PT Council Meeting. Click here to register for this Zoom meeting.

MLK Day of Service is Saturday from 11 am to 2 pm at UCONN Stamford

Please join us tomorrow from 11 am to 2 pm at UCONN Stamford for the MLK Day of Service. Activities will include writing letters to U.S. troops, creating cards for senior citizens, and more. Light refreshments will be served. Please see the flyer (English / Spanish) for more information.

Filling in the Blanks Mobile Food Pantry in Stamford Tomorrow

The Filling in the Blanks Mobile Food Pantry returns to Stamford tomorrow, Saturday, January 17 from 6:30 to 9 am. The mobile food pantry will be set up at St. Mary Parish which is located at 566 Elm Street.

High School Students Recognized for Outstanding Artwork

I am excited to share that four students from Stamford High and Westhill have been recognized by the Connecticut Regional Scholastic Art Awards program for their outstanding artwork. This annual program is juried by professional artists and university art faculty and recognizes the best student artwork in the state.

Please join me in congratulating the following students and their teachers:

Best in Show: Jewelry

Angelena McKenzie (Westhill High School, Grade 12). Teacher: Kenneth Martin

Gold Key Awards:

Alexander Bustillo (Westhill High School, Grade 12), Jewelry. Teacher: Kenneth Martin

Angelena McKenzie (Westhill High School, Grade 12), Jewelry. Teacher: Kenneth Martin

Madison Ortiz (Stamford High School, Grade 9), Mixed Media. Teacher: Erika Arconti-Galassi

Honorable Mention:

Melanie Garrido (Westhill High School, Grade 12), Jewelry. Teacher: Kenneth Martin

The award-winning student artwork is on display through January 30 in the Donald and Linda Silpe Gallery at the University of Hartford. In addition, the students and their teachers will be honored during a reception at the University of Hartford on January 25th.

SPS is fortunate to have visual arts teachers like Ms. Arconti-Galassi and Mr. Martin to inspire and support our students’ creativity. In addition to Ms. Arconti-Galassi and Mr. Martin, I would like to thank Robin Konrad and Module Downer, the Department Leaders for Visual and Performing Arts at Westhill High School and Stamford High School, respectively, for creating high-quality visual arts education programs for our students.