Concord School District holds budget public hearing; residents urge trust-fund spending for facilities

The Concord School District held a public hearing on the proposed fiscal year 2026 budget during which district staff outlined a $111 million general-fund proposal, and two residents urged the board to use expendable trust funds for building repairs instead of raising taxes.

The district presentation, given by Mister Dunn, described total proposed expenditures across funds — including a Career and Technical Regional Center (CRTC) trust of $21,056,008.79 — and focused on a $111,000,005.74 general fund that the presenter said is roughly 2.84% higher than the prior year. Dunn said the increase is driven primarily by salaries, benefits and debt service, and that the net effect of staffing changes — including a 4.5-teacher reduction, a 7.37 support-staff reduction, and 3.6 added full-time-equivalent positions — is a net personnel reduction and budgetary savings. He also described a proposed contracted school resource officer at Runlet with an estimated cost of $101,006.54.

Why it matters: District staff said the budget requires raising $3,708,748.38 in local tax revenue for education after accounting for changes in state education tax and other revenue. Dunn said the combined local-and-state shift translates to roughly a 62-cent increase on the local rate (about 3.99% between local and state), which he illustrated as about a $186 increase on a $300,000 home.

Board process and schedule: Dunn said the presentation materials and a version 1.1 budget document are posted on the district website under the ICON budget presentation. He outlined upcoming steps: an additional hearing and an open work session, with board action to finalize the budget expected on May 26, contingent on a majority of five votes in the affirmative.

Public comment: Two residents spoke during the five-minute public-comment period. Bob Messina, a Ward 5 resident and parent, said school buildings matter less to students than class size, curriculum and teachers, and urged fiscal restraint rather than a "Corvette"-style, high-cost school project. Messina also said Concord taxpayers could not afford an excessively expensive building and urged caution in setting a project price.

Charlie Russell, another Ward 5 resident, referenced recent bond and school-vote defeats in nearby towns and urged the board to consider local voter sentiment before committing to large expenditures. He suggested using the district's expendable facilities trust — which he noted as about $17 million in the budget booklet — to address deferred maintenance such as the Runlet roof and improvements at Memorial Field rather than raising taxes. Russell also cautioned against purchasing vans until the district can recruit drivers, saying, "don't go buy vans until you have drivers."

No budget vote: This meeting was a public hearing; the board did not vote to adopt the budget. The hearing closed after public testimony. The board then took a procedural vote to adjourn the public hearing: the motion to adjourn was moved by Sarah Robinson and seconded by Miss Boucher; members approved the motion by voice vote and the chair declared the motion carried.

What remains: District staff said they will discuss outstanding debt related to the middle-school project and expenditures tied to closing out related property at a future meeting. The board scheduled another hearing at the Central Office and a work session before the expected final vote on the budget.