Weston Board of Education reviews FY2026 budget amid questions on capital jumps, insurance and staffing

WESTON — The Weston Board of Education held a special public forum on Jan. 23 to review the proposed fiscal 2025–26 budget, with members of the public and board members urging more detail on large capital spending items, urging caution about an unresolved health‑insurance estimate and asking for analysis of staffing and per‑pupil costs.

The forum, which the board conducted as a second public comment session on the budget, focused on three recurring concerns: a capital budget the public characterized as higher than in recent years, a health‑insurance cost estimate that remains unsettled and the district’s high spending per pupil and staffing utilization.

Resident Alex Staley opened public comments by challenging the timing and transparency of material changes to the capital plan, saying the district posted revised capital figures late and without explanatory notes. “The budget is too high,” Staley said, identifying a proposed capital total he described as about $3,300,000 and pointing to a single HVAC line that rose from an…