Triton Regional School District officials told the District Coordination Committee on a budget‑focused agenda item that the district still has roughly $350,000 in undesignated cuts to resolve for fiscal 2026.

The committee heard that potential offsets include additional Chapter 70 state aid under discussion at the Legislature, savings from health‑care plan design changes already negotiated and year‑end accounting adjustments; officials said those elements together could substantially lower the remaining shortfall but that the figure is not yet final.

Why it matters: The district’s assessments to the three member towns will not change automatically when state aid moves; instead, officials said, state revenue changes typically alter the district’s top line and then flow through the fall adjusted budget. That means towns may not see assessment changes but district programs and spending decisions could shift in the coming months.

District staff described the current situation as a mix of revenue timing and prior accounting estimates. A staff member reported the committee still “has $350,000 of undesignated cuts in our budget that we’re going to need to decide moving forward,” and said that additional state Chapter 70 aid—if the Legislature’s proposals hold—could add roughly $160,000 to the district’s revenue picture. Separately, public employee plan design changes produced about $370,000 in health‑care savings, about $70,000 more than originally targeted, staff said.

Officials said those items — roughly $160,000 in potential extra Chapter 70 funds plus the $70,000 above‑plan health‑care savings — account for about $230,000 of the gap. The district is also considering delaying roughly $40,000 in curriculum implementations and keeping two buses funded in FY‑26 to address daily route reliability, officials said.

The superintendent and committee members emphasized that the fall adjusted budget (issued each autumn) is the vehicle for finalizing many of these adjustments. As explained at the meeting, the fall adjusted budget generally keeps the same assessment to member towns while reallocating line items (for example, salary contingencies and hiring differences) and reflecting updated state aid figures when they are finalized.

Discussion and next steps: Committee members urged earlier communication with municipal finance committees and select boards so town leaders can prepare and explain likely scenarios to residents well before January budget discussions. Committee members said they want periodic projections as negotiations and state budget decisions proceed.

Officials also flagged two other near‑term budget risks: special‑education and transportation costs. Staff said the district is carrying higher special‑education expenses that contributed to the current year’s pressure. On transportation, the district is operating 19 buses but said the “right number” is 21; officials said they have kept funding for two additional buses in the budget to avoid daily service gaps.

The committee did not take formal votes on budget changes during the meeting. Staff said they will return with updated numbers as the state budget process and contract negotiations progress and that any final changes to town assessments would be handled through the standard town budget and appropriation processes.

Ending: Officials asked the three towns’ leaders to continue joint communications and outreach to help residents understand how regional funding formulas and state aid changes affect local assessments.