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Coventry committee approves 5-year budget projection and 2026 school budget; deficit-reduction plan remains under development
Summary
The school committee voted unanimously to approve a five-year fiscal projection and the 2026 budget; staff said the district and town will continue work on a joint five-year deficit-reduction plan and that the projection assumes negotiated contract increases.
The Coventry School Committee unanimously approved a five-year budget projection and the 2026 school budget after staff presented updated assumptions, contract placeholders and deficit-reduction proposals.
Why it matters: The five-year projection is intended to show how the district will work toward eliminating an accumulated deficit. Staff said the projection incorporates recent negotiated raises (described during the presentation as 1% in 2027, 2% in 2028 and 1.75% in 2029 for teachers, with SRP at 2% each year) and town contributions toward deficit reduction. The projection also assumes certain retirements and other savings and extends through fiscal year 2029–30.
Key details from staff: Finance staff said the projection follows the state’s municipal financial reporting format and includes an appropriation schedule that, under current assumptions, would allocate roughly $1.023 million toward the accumulated deficit over the projection period. The presenters warned the projection depends on contracts being finalized and on the town’s planned appropriations; if contractual or town actions change, the projection would need revision. Committee members said the town finance director already has a copy and staff will continue refining the numbers as fiscal-year 2025 closeout proceeds.
Votes and next steps: The five-year budget projection was approved by a 4–0 vote. The 2026 school budget was later presented and the committee approved the revised 2026 budget by a 4–0 vote. Staff will continue joint work with the town on a formal deficit-reduction plan and return updates to the committee.
Ending: Committee members said they remain cautiously optimistic about closing fiscal-year 2025 with a better position than budgeted, but stressed that final contract memorialization and town appropriations will determine whether the projection’s outcomes hold.
