District overview
New London Public Schools
Funding structure, how it compares to peers, and where major projects stand.
Why is New London closing a school to balance its budget?
New London Public Schools is Connecticut's only all-magnet school district, drawing roughly a quarter of its students from surrounding towns to fill seats and bring in per-pupil magnet revenue. The city itself provides an unusually small share of the district's budget: the district's own FY2026-2027 budget materials rank New London 161st of 165 Connecticut districts for local funding as a share of school revenue (27.6% locally, versus a 74.1% statewide average), leaving the district heavily reliant on state and federal aid and on out-of-district magnet enrollment to fill its budget gap. Facing a starting FY2026-2027 shortfall the district put at about $7.4 million, the Board of Education spent the 2025-2026 school year cutting positions, asking the City for a double-digit percentage funding increase, and ultimately voting to close a school building and consolidate a magnet pathway rather than cut deeper into every program.
Local funding is unusually thin
The district's own figures show it provides about $6,421 in local funding per student and ranks 161st of 165 Connecticut districts for the share of school revenue raised locally.
Magnet enrollment brings in outside revenue
About a quarter of magnet seats are reserved for out-of-district students, whose enrollment brings additional per-pupil revenue the district has built into its budget planning.
The FY27 gap forced two rounds of cuts
The Board approved $1,369,042 in staffing and expense cuts in March 2026, then endorsed closing a school building and merging a magnet pathway in April 2026 after concluding smaller cuts alone would not close the gap.
The City controls the total, not the Board
The Board can only allocate the dollar amount the City Council appropriates each year; multiple 2025-26 meetings describe the Board negotiating with the Mayor and City Council over specific costs, such as crossing guards and utilities, that it says belong on the City's side of the ledger.
None of this means New London's schools are mismanaged: the district's FY26 budget book won a state communications award for budget transparency, and the funding gap traces to New London's small property tax base and low state Alliance District/ECS funding relative to its enrollment and poverty level, not to undocumented or unusual district spending.
Where the district stands
District-reported figure; excludes state and federal funding, which make up the large majority of New London's school budget.
27.6% of school revenue is raised locally in New London, versus a 74.1% average across CT's 165 districts.
Up from $82,291,554 in FY26; includes both General Fund and grant funding, after the Board's March 2026 reductions.
Requests $53,523,984, versus $47,516,526 appropriated for FY26; a smaller 3.98% increase ($49,408,455) was requested under the school-closure plan if the State approved added magnet revenue.
Approved 6-0; includes 10.0 eliminated staff positions, before the later decision to also close a school building.
Includes the C.B. Jennings principal and a Winthrop assistant principal, non-renewed the same month the Board endorsed closing a school building.
Major projects
FY2026-2027 school consolidation: closure of C.B. Jennings International Elementary Magnet School
Endorsed by the Board; building identified, community opposed, transition planning underwayThe Board voted to close one school building and merge the International Education magnet pathway into the district's other pathways as part of its FY27 budget plan, then identified C.B. Jennings as the building to close; the Jennings principal and a Winthrop assistant principal were among the administrators non-renewed for budgetary reasons the same month.
- Board votes 6-0 to endorse Plan C, committing to close a school building and consolidate the International Education pathway
- Special meeting on "School Facility Consolidation" identifies C.B. Jennings as the building to close (outcome confirmed via later board materials; minutes not yet posted)
- Board non-renews the Jennings principal and a Winthrop assistant principal, among others, for budgetary reasons
- Magnet Pathways office reports active "Jennings Transition Support" work; community members speak against the closure
Funding
Part of the district's "Plan C" budget-reduction path
District figures project about $3.0 million in savings from staffing, utilities, transportation, and facilities costs tied to the closure.
FY2026-2027 city appropriation request and budget amendments
Submitted to the City; City Council approved a smaller amount than requested, and the Board amended its budget to matchThe Board presented its full FY27 budget book to the public, sent the Mayor a formal appropriation request for either a 12.64% or 3.98% increase depending on the State Magnet Office's response, and ultimately amended its budget after City Council's final reading approved a different amount.
- District presents the full FY2026-2027 proposed budget book to the Board page by page
- Public hearing on the FY27 budget; Board approves $1,369,042 in reductions
- Board sends transmittal letter and appropriation request to the Mayor
- Board approves budget amendments to match the amount approved by City Council
Funding
City of New London general fund appropriation, plus state Magnet School Assistance Program (MSAP) and ECS/Alliance District funding
The State Magnet Office had declined the district's request for additional full magnet funding by the Board's June 8, 2026 meeting.
Nathan Hale public-address system replacement and related facilities repairs
In progress, funded through a state DRIP grant and district capital funds after the original PA system failedAfter Nathan Hale's roughly 12-year-old PA system failed in fall 2025 with no regional vendor able to service it, the district bid out a replacement and identified a state DRIP grant to help fund it, along with related HVAC work at Winthrop and the Early Childhood Center at B.P. Mission.
- Nathan Hale PA system failure reported; temporary fix in place
- Public bid issued for a customizable cloud-based replacement system
- Board discusses using DRIP grant funds for the Nathan Hale and Winthrop PA systems and BP Mission HVAC work
Funding
State DRIP grant (to be spent by June 30, 2026) and district Capital Improvement Plan/operations budget
Estimated replacement cost was reported at approximately $90,000-$200,000 during the bid process.
Recent news
This page is built entirely from New London Public Schools' own published board agendas, minutes, and budget documents from August 2025 through July 2026, collected from the district's official website (www.newlondon.org). No search results, secondary news coverage, or unofficial sources were used to support verified facts.
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