Tolland Board debates $1.9 million in cuts, asks town council for a joint meeting

The Tolland Board of Education on Monday reviewed a list of proposed reductions that would bring the school budget toward the town manager—s proposed 2.99% increase, a target well below the board—s adopted request. Board members, the superintendent and members of the public spent more than two hours weighing options that officials said would total about $1.9 million in potential reductions.

The discussion centered on tradeoffs across personnel, programs and services. Superintendent Dr. Willett (title used in the meeting) told board members several times he preferred using available insurance reserves rather than cutting staff: "I would rather us take... from the insurance reserves than to lose people," he said, urging the board to weigh pre‑payments and other one‑time offsets carefully.

Why it matters: board members said many of the items being discussed would have ripple effects that would reduce students— opportunities and raise longer‑term costs. Members cited likely increases in class sizes, fewer unified arts and electives, diminished co‑teaching supports and potential reductions in middle‑school athletics, extracurricular…