Simsbury Board of Education adopts $89,000,160.28 budget; approves senior gifts, scholarships and club donations

The Simsbury Board of Education voted to adopt a $89,000,160.28 budget for the 2025–26 school year, an increase of $3,001,018 (3.91%), and approved several student gifts and scholarships at a regular meeting. The board then adjourned into executive session to discuss the superintendent’s evaluation.

Board members and district staff said a larger-than-usual increase in state education funding influenced the final numbers. The district expects an additional educational cost-share (ECS) allocation of about $845,554 in the current year, which administration members said materially offsets the operating impact and improves the district’s position relative to guideline targets.

The budget vote followed multiple public and internal discussions, a budget workshop and line-item adjustments. The board’s final motion set the 2025–26 public school budget at $89,000,160.28, representing a 3.91% increase over the current year. Board members and staff noted the total includes a roughly 1.61% fixed-cost increase, a 1.26% operational increase and additional special-education cost pressures.

Administrators told the board the ECS adjustment is likely permanent to the base and will affect future calculations; the administration said it will present details to the Board of Finance next week about how the ECS funds will be managed in the town’s overall mill-rate calculations. One board member characterized the ECS change as “a major move” compared with typical year-to-year adjustments.

The meeting also included consideration and approval of four donor items and scholarship funds for Simsbury High School students. Students and staff described the gifts and how the donations will be used:

- A senior-class gift — a planned 26-inch victory bell funded by the Class of 2025 and intended to be installed outside the athletic entrance — was presented by class officers. The vendor timing shifted and the delivery was described as expected in mid-March or early April; the board approved the gift, which the administration listed at $8,000.

- The David Krakoff and Sydney Hoffman Charitable Fund donated $5,000 to help defray costs for high-school students with financial need for extracurricular or educational experiences; school administrators said the principal will have discretion over awards from the student-activities account.

- The Gene Haas Foundation donated $2,750 to the high-school robotics club to purchase supplies and cover club expenses. The board approved the gift and members expressed appreciation for continued support.

- The Simsbury High School Parent Teacher Committee (SHS SPTC) established four scholarships of $500 each for graduating seniors pursuing postsecondary plans; the board approved dispersal beginning in 2025, with distribution coordinated by the school counseling department.

After final motions and votes, the board approved a motion to adjourn into executive session to discuss the superintendent’s evaluation; the public portion of the meeting ended at that point.

Votes at a glance - Adopt 2025–26 public school budget, $89,000,160.28 (3.91% increase): approved (voice vote recorded in meeting). - Approval of minutes, Feb. 8 budget workshop: approved (voice vote). - Approval of minutes, Feb. 11 meeting: approved with two abstentions recorded. - Acceptance of Class of 2025 gift (26-inch victory bell, stated value $8,000): approved. - Gift of $5,000 from the David Krakoff and Sydney Hoffman Charitable Fund for student needs: approved. - Gift of $2,750 from the Gene Haas Foundation to the SHS robotics club: approved. - SHS SPTC scholarships (four awards, $500 each): approved. - Motion to adjourn to executive session (superintendent evaluation): approved.

The board’s next publicly scheduled action will be presentation of the budget materials to the Board of Finance and any follow-up discussions about how the ECS allocation will be recorded within the town’s financial plan.