IMPORTANT: 2024-2025 BOE Budget Meetings w/Town Council upcoming April 23rd and April 29th

Dear All,

As Superintendent Bellizzi communicated to Wallingford Public School families on April 2nd, there currently exists a gap of ~$3.9M+ between the 2024-2025 BOE budget request and the Mayor's recommendation.  ~$3.1M+ of that difference relates to sustained services.  Staff wages and benefits make up ~80% of the budget.  None of the ~$2.7M in BOE capital improvement item requests were recommended for funding.  While potential impacts have yet not been communicated, if the BOE request is not restored in whole or in part through Town Council action during budgetary process steps upcoming this week, the School District will need to take actions in order to reconcile.

Given the potential significance of and interest in this situation, we wanted to highlight ways that families and residents can engage in the process to communicate with the Town Council.

(1) Email Town Council Members in advance of the April 23rd Town Council Meeting and in advance of the April 29th Budget Public Hearing.  Town Council Member email addresses can be found at https://www.wallingfordct.gov/government/departments/town-council/

(2) Attend and speak during the Public Question and Answer period of the April 23rd Town Council Meeting.  The agenda can be found at https://www.wallingfordct.gov/minutes-and-agendas/DownloadFile.aspx?FileID=10881

(3) Attend and speak during the Budget Public Hearing on April 29th.  The legal notice to the public of the hearing can be found at https://www.wallingfordct.gov/minutes-and-agendas/DownloadFile.aspx?FileID=10883

Sincerely,

Bryan Rivard & Valerie Glynn

System-Wide Parent Teacher Advisory Council Chairperson & Vice Chairperson

Latest Updates: Herren Talks, Parent Choice Awards, Next Meeting

As winter break approaches, the System-Wide Parent Teacher Advisory Council (PTAC) of Wallingford schools wishes you and yours all the best this holiday season!  It's been a strong start to the school-year in PTAC areas of focus:

Every Middle and High School student (3000+) along with parents and community were invited to attend moving and impactful presentations by Chris Herren on his struggle with addiction.  The photo below is from the student presentation.

Photo credit courtesy "Herren Talks

More than 170 school district teachers and staff representing every school were recognized for their outstanding support of students and families last year during the annual Parent Choice Awards.  The word-cloud below highlights some of what families had to say about their nominee(s).

Finally, all are welcome at our final meeting of 2023 on Tuesday, December 19th to be held virtually via Google Meet at 6pm.  Please contact central office for the meeting link.  As always, thanks for your participation and support.

Sincerely,

Bryan Rivard

PTAC Chairperson

Valerie Glynn

PTAC Vice Chairperson

Prevention Starts with All - Chris Herren Presentation

When:   Wednesday, November 29, 2023 from 6pm-8pm

Where:  Mark T. Sheehan High School Auditorium

What:

Intro. Video

We welcome you to attend a special community evening with Chris Herren, an All-American basketball legend and empowering motivational speaker, as he shares his story from his struggles with addiction to his road to recovery. Chris inspires people to start the conversation on wellness and educate themselves on the disease of addiction. It is his hope that strength will be found in the struggle and communities will come TOGETHER to address the issue of substance use disorder, advocate for effective treatment and embrace the power of recovery.

His journey has been documented in the bestselling memoir, “Basketball Junkie,” the Emmy-nominated ESPN Films documentary, “Unguarded” and in countless local, national and international stories by The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and Sports Illustrated, among others. Through Herren Talks, Chris has spoken to over 1 million community members, sparking honest discussions about substance use disorder and wellness.  In addition to community presentations, Chris Herren established the Herren Project,  a non-profit organization that guides individuals and their families through recovery.  They work to break the stigma of addiction, bring awareness to the dangers of substance use, and encourage positive decision-making to navigate life’s challenges.