Tolland board schedules Feb. 4 budget session, asks superintendent for 3 budget scenarios prioritizing security and staff
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Summary
After public comments and a detailed budget workshop, the Tolland Board of Education voted unanimously to add a Feb. 4 special budget meeting and asked the superintendent to produce three scenarios (example targets suggested at 3%, 5% and 7%). Members said security, nurses and frontline staff should be protected before programmatic cuts.
The Tolland Board of Education voted unanimously to add a special budget session on Feb. 4 and instructed Superintendent Dr. Willett to prepare three budget scenarios that prioritize school security and protect people over positions.
Board members spent more than two hours probing line items and trade-offs during a budget workshop, asking detailed questions about transportation, insurance, clubs and staffing. The board suggested illustrative target increases of roughly 3%, 5% and 7% and told the superintendent to show the fiscal effects of protecting SRO/SACSA coverage, nurses and classroom positions under each scenario.
Why it matters: The board faces a budget season that includes looming insurance changes, transportation costs that have trended above the printed line, and reduced federal grant support that together create pressure on operating funds. Members said showing multiple scenarios will help the board and the town council identify priorities before the board must adopt a budget for town review.
Key facts discussed included the transportation roll-up (budget booklet roll-up showed about $132,000 while a narrower FFC line was $107,000; actual FY25 spending was near $140,000), and superintendent estimates that a one‑percentage‑point change in the proposed budget equates to roughly $450,000. The superintendent told the board he can prepare scenario A/B/C for the Feb. 4 meeting and asked clear priority guidance to steer which lines to protect.
Board action: The motion to move the special meeting to board action and to calendar it passed without opposition; when the board later voted to add the Feb. 4 meeting the motion passed unanimously (seconded by Jaden). The board also approved the Jan. 14 minutes earlier in the meeting.
Next steps: The superintendent will return with the requested scenarios; the board will review them at the Feb. 4 session and then proceed toward a formal vote on Feb. 11 to forward the adopted budget to the town. The board asked that any scenario showing added positions or services include dollar amounts so members can swap items in or out during final deliberations.
Quotes from the meeting: Superintendent Dr. Willett told the board he could "create scenarios—A, B and C—by next week" and urged the board to give priorities that should be protected. A board member summarized the approach: "Prioritize security and people over positions," asking that nurses and mental‑health supports be preserved where possible.
Outcome: Special meeting set for 2026-02-04; superintendent to prepare three budget scenarios that reflect the board’s stated priorities.