Superintendent unveils $93 million 2025–26 budget; buses, Garfield lot paving and unfunded mandates highlight discussion

Superintendent Dr. Bramlett presented the Newington Board of Education with a proposed $93 million operating budget for 2025–26 on Feb. 5, describing a 6.86% increase over the current year and outlining staffing additions, grant offsets and capital requests. The superintendent said the district plans to rely on $2.7 million in grant funding and to draw on non-lapsing funds to help bridge the budget gap.

The presentation emphasized two capital pressures: a deteriorating bus fleet and the condition of the district's garage/parking at Garfield Street. Lou and Dean Barnes, the district's bus director, outlined a replacement plan that lists the cost of replacing the full fleet at $8,111,000 and described two funding approaches — a straight-line 11-year replacement (about $737,000 per year) or a "bubble" approach that concentrates higher funding in peak years to smooth costs. "The grand total of redoing the entire fleet is $8,111,000 in current cost," Lou said. Dean Barnes and other staff showed photos of undercarriage rust and shared repair details; the district reported about $250,000 in fleet repairs last year.

The…