Weekly Message from the Superintendent

Superintendent's Weekly Message - January 9, 2026

Dear SPS Community:

As I shared in my end of year message, the Superintendent’s Proposed FY27 Operating Budget will be presented to the Board of Education this month. Our proposed operating budget will outline how the district will sustain its core educational mission in spite of significant increases in most fixed costs, including healthcare benefits, out of district special education, and student transportation.

The rising cost of healthcare benefits is a national phenomenon, and the cost to provide such benefits to our 2,300+ qualifying employees is projected to increase by nearly $7 million in 2026-27. This represents a 2% increase in the operating budget. To put that in perspective, the 10-year average budget increase granted to SPS by our City Boards was 2.95%.

During a special meeting of the Board of Education on Wednesday night, the BOE voted 8-1-0 to reinstate the 8-Block A/B schedule in our high schools for 2026-27. Despite promising early student outcome data that suggests the Flexible Schedule is benefitting our students, the Board decided to resume a schedule in which all students, including our most at-risk learners, will take up to 8 concurrent classes, in some cases doubling the work loads of our students, especially those in 9th and 10th grades.

There are also budgetary ramifications to reinstating the 8-Block A/B schedule. As we shared with the BOE on Wednesday night, this schedule will add as much as $3 million more to the FY27 operating budget. The Board’s actions will force the district to make difficult cuts to programs, services, and staff that will reverberate through all of our PreK-12 schools and negatively impact more than 15,500 students.

The Superintendent’s Proposed FY27 Operating Budget will be presented to the Board of Education on Tuesday, January 20.

Meeting for Families of Students with Special Needs is January 14

The Stamford Coalition of Parents Expecting Success (SCOPES) will host its next meeting on Wednesday, January 14 at 6 pm in the SPS Welcome Center Community Room. The topic of the January 2026 meeting is the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) eligibility and application process. The guest speaker will be James Oliver, the Transition Advisor for the Connecticut State Department of Developmental Services. The meeting will be presented with simultaneous Spanish and Haitian Creole interpretation. Please register to let us know if you plan to attend this meeting.

Magnet School Application Deadline is January 15

Just a reminder that next Thursday, January 15 at 4 pm is the deadline to apply for admission to the district’s magnet schools for the 2026-27 school year. More information can be found here.

There’s Still Time to Apply for the 2026 Parent Leadership Training Institute (PLTI)

Stamford PLTI, sponsored by the Stamford Public Education Foundation, is seeking parents, grandparents, guardians or other adults to join the FREE 2026 PLTI program beginning later this month. PLTI helps parents and other adults acquire the skills to be effective advocates for children. See this flier for more information and click here to apply. There are only a few spots left, so please submit your application as soon as possible.

Tournament of Roses Parade

Last month, I shared that Stamford High Choral and Orchestral Director Erin Ring-Howell had been selected to participate in The Band Directors Marching Band at the 137th Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, CA on New Year’s Day. Ms. Ring-Howell, who played the piccolo in the band, was kind enough to share a number of photos from her experience that you can view on the district’s Facebook and Instagram. A video of the band's incredible performance is available to view here.