Simsbury board adopts FY2026 operating budget; dollar total in transcript unclear

The Simsbury Board of Education voted to adopt an FY2026 public school operating budget and will forward the budget number to the Board of Finance.

A board member moved to adopt the FY2026 operating budget. During the motion the transcript records numbers in two parts: one speaker read "$91,000,303" and another read "$303,244"; the presenter also read a percentage change described as roughly 2.79% (the transcript includes the phrase "which represents an increase of ... or 2.79%"). Because the transcript separates the dollar amount into two consecutive reads, the precise consolidated dollar total is ambiguous in the record. The board moved, the motion was seconded, and members voted to adopt the budget by voice vote with no opposition recorded.

Board discussion before the vote had focused on a late insurance cost increase of about $400,000 that required looking for reductions, where possible, and on the tradeoffs of adjusting FTEs (with some members preferring any class-size increases to occur at the high school rather than elementary level). The administration said it would continue to monitor enrollment changes, retirements and vacancies to find responsible savings and report back on where reductions are made.

Next steps: the adopted number will be presented to the town's Board of Finance next week, and administration will follow up to show where any staffing or line-item reductions are realized.

Note on figures: the transcript records two dollar strings ($91,000,303 followed by $303,244) and a percent increase of 2.79%. The board and administration did not, in the meeting record, state a single consolidated dollar total in a clear, unambiguous form; the article reports the ambiguity rather than combining the two reads into a single invented total.