Meriden, CT: $422K for SPED classrooms; 29 more autistic elem students this fall

June 6, 2025, CT Insider: Meriden adds $422,000 for special education classrooms to meet growing demand 

MERIDEN –– The district has added two specialized classrooms for $422,000 since another 29 elementary students with autism are expected to start next school year.

 “There has been an increase in students, so we had to think of how we were going to accommodate them and give them adequate resources,” said Michael Grove, assistant superintendent for Meriden Public Schools. “We decided two additional classrooms were the best option for the students.” 

The Board of Education recently approved the new classrooms addition during a finance committee meeting. 

By comparison, outplacing the same number of students to schools outside the district would cost $124,014 per student—even after excess cost reimbursement from the state of Connecticut, officials said.

The district is exploring ways to keep special education students in-district rather than placing them in outside programs.  . . .

The district expects to have about 140 3- and 4-year-olds in total, she said.

"The number of students moving from preschool to kindergarten is expected,” Sullivan-Kowalksi said.

“However, student needs vary, and the Planning and Placement Team determines each student’s least restrictive environment.”  

She said more students are moving into the district with specialized programming needs, requiring yearly decisions about classroom sizes and the number of classrooms needed. 

The two additional STARS classrooms are part of some of the budget increases for the 2025-26 school year that are necessary for the district, according to Grove. 

Other increases include $100,000 for paraeducator contract increases, nearly $95,000 for a new middle school counselor, $37,300 for a revised athletic director model and nearly $27,000 for an elementary school tutor. 

These additions total about $681,000, increasing the district’s original deficit from nearly $560,000 to $1.24 million.  

Although the City Council approved City Manager Brian Daniels’ proposed $2.3 million increase for the Board of Education earlier this month, the amount falls about $560,000 short of the district’s original $3.1 million requested increase from the city. The district is also expecting $4.2 million from the State Alliance Grant. 

To close the $1.2 million budget deficit, the district began identifying areas for cuts, starting with eliminating 12 staff positions.