Simsbury presents FY26 school budget and a town spending plan that would raise taxes about 2.3%

Superintendent Matt Curtis presented the Simsbury Board of Education's proposed fiscal 2026 operating budget — a 3.91% increase that would put the school system's total expenditures at $89,160,028. Town officials said that, taken together with selectmen and debt service items, the current package would produce a townwide tax increase of roughly 2.32% and a median-home tax impact of about $205.

The board of education budget, Curtis said, was organized into three buckets: fixed costs, operations and special education. "At the end of the day, with all the movement in fixed costs, we land at a 1.61% increase over last year's operating costs," Curtis said, then detailed other drivers that bring the full school request to 3.91%.

Why it matters: special-education costs and contractual payroll make up the largest shares of the school budget and are the primary upward pressures on the town tax rate. Curtis told the board that salaries and benefits account for roughly 80% of the district's operating costs; special education consumes about 24.5% of operating dollars, roughly in line with the district's peer group (DURG average), and out-of-district tuition increases are the single largest special-education driver in the FY26 request.

Most important facts - Proposed school operating increase: 3.91%; proposed town tax increase (current package): about 2.32%. - Total proposed school expenditures: $89,160,028 (as presented by Superintendent Matt Curtis). - Special education: about 24.5% of operating dollars. The district identified roughly $890,000 in special-education cost increases; $650,000 of that was the projected rise in out-of-district tuition. - Staffing: the Board of Education reduced its original request by cutting 4 full-time equivalent positions (two at the high school and two at the elementary level), which Curtis said reduced payroll by a little over $500,000. - Fixed costs and operations: Curtis cited a 1.61% fixed-cost increase (salaries/benefits, insurance, utilities) and a 1.26% operations increase (transportation, maintenance, supplies).

State and federal funding updates A board member told the meeting they had spoken with the lieutenant governor and were "optimistic" that the governor and Legislature were negotiating to restore roughly $400,000 in the current year's excess-cost reimbursement; the board member said the lieutenant governor indicated an announcement was likely the following day. Town and school staff cautioned that negotiations were not final.

Curtis also reviewed federal grants the district receives, saying the district gets about $1.4–$1.5 million in federal dollars (he referenced a grant the transcript records as the "Bridal" grant, and other Title allocations) and that State Department of Education legal guidance made it "highly unlikely" those federal grants would be withheld in the near term.

Town revenue, reserves and other budget items Town staff reported an unexpected $850,000 increase in education-cost-sharing aid from the state and several other one-time or newly identified revenue sources (including about $771 from assessor adjustments and about $400,000 in fines) that helped lower the net town tax increase. The package also relies on planned uses of reserves: roughly $450,000 of general fund balance and proposed use of a portion of health reserves (staff estimated up to $495,000 could be available to help smooth the budget).

Officials described a multi-year debt-service smoothing plan that uses reserves in the near term to avoid a steep debt-service spike later. Capital reserves were discussed at length; as of the June 30, 2025 projection shown in the meeting materials, unassigned balances were estimated at about $4.6 million, with proposed near-term uses that would leave roughly $2.7 million on hand (figures presented by town finance staff).

Motor vehicle levy and other technical items Town staff said a recently enacted change in the motor-vehicle assessment (a shift to an MSRP-based depreciation schedule) initially looked like it could cost the town about $800,000, but with a state adjustment the town's projected loss could fall to roughly $45,000 if the change is adopted and the Board of Selectmen opts in. Town staff said they will present further analysis on that adjustment and on the projected effect on car taxes to the board.

Next steps and timing Officials asked staff (Amy and Mark in the meeting) to provide updated models and additional detail (including an itemized list of board of education CNR requests and a clearer breakdown of the anticipated grand-list growth that supports assumed revenue). A public hearing on the selectmen's fee changes and the motor-vehicle option was described as being scheduled for an upcoming meeting (town staff said a hearing would be set for the board's April meeting and that selectmen planned to vote on a resolution on an upcoming Monday). Final votes on the town budget proceed through the Board of Selectmen and then the town's legislative process.

Discussion versus action Discussion dominated the session: staff and board members debated revenue assumptions, reserve use, and special-education cost containment. There were no final budget-adoption votes recorded in the transcript excerpt; the meeting did include procedural votes on minutes and an executive-session motion (see Actions below). Town staff and the board repeatedly characterized several revenue items as contingent on final state action or the selectmen's opt-in votes and asked for follow-up analysis before final adoption.

Ending Board members repeatedly thanked school and town staff for detailed work on a difficult, multi-year budget exercise and asked for updated budget books and hard-copy materials before the next meeting. Town staff said they would deliver a digital budget book link and circulate three printed copies by the end of the week.