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 clubs and specialized staff who support students with higher needs.

What was on the table: Dr. Willett presented a menu of options that the board has discussed in prior budget cycles and in recent committee meetings. Those included using additional ECHIP insurance reserves and the educational reserve fund (ERF) for one‑time offsets; trimming equipment and materials; reducing software and training budgets for a year (PowerSchool university and similar), pre‑buying consumables where practical; eliminating or reducing middle‑school athletics; shifting more costs to families (a suggested pay‑to‑play increase to about $300, and an analysis that fully parent‑funded athletics would average roughly $1,571 per sport); cutting or restructuring some auxiliary programs and clubs; and a staged approach to personnel vacancies and step adjustments.

Board members and public speakers pressed detailed questions about the secondary impacts of each option. Board member Jen (listed on the meeting roster) said many reductions would cause a —snowball effect,— potentially increasing the number of students who need tiered intervention and special education services. A student representative told the board, "This is a big thing for our community every year—it affects students and teachers and whether people will move to Tolland for our schools," and urged wider community turnout in the referendum.

Public input included residents asking how the district and board could do more to boost voter turnout for the budget referendum. John Graney, a resident who addressed the board during the community budget Q&A, asked: "Is there anything that the school board can do or the town can do to better communicate to the town residents the importance of voting in this process?" The superintendent and communications committee members outlined conventional channels (bulletins, digital backpacks, the district website) and said they are brainstorming additional outreach.

Board direction and next steps: After the discussion, the board voted unanimously to ask the Town Council for a special joint meeting to present the potential reductions and explore options, including use of town reserves or other town‑level funding. Board members framed the request as an effort to ensure councilors hear, in person, the instructional and programmatic consequences of the dollar choices under consideration.

A separate, unanimous vote authorized transfer of year‑end audited balances into the district—s educational reserve fund (ERF); the superintendent noted that after several planned allocations the ERF balance would be modest and not available for immediate use in the current budget cycle.

Board members emphasized the process is not final: no personnel reductions were formally approved Monday and the purpose of the meeting was to surface impacts and options before the Town Council finalizes its budget. Dr. Willett and board members said they will continue to examine short‑term offsets that minimize losses to classroom staff and core services while also preparing for the possibility of deeper cuts if town funding does not change.

Ending: The board scheduled follow‑up work in committee and will press the Town Council to meet jointly before the council—s own budget decisions. Members urged residents to read budget materials posted on the district website and to participate in the referendum process so elected officials hear community priorities.