Weston board reviews revised budget after health‑insurance spike; parents urge protecting staff

The Weston Board of Education reviewed a revised operating budget on a night of public comment and detailed staff responses, with administration saying an updated health‑insurance projection pushed their operating request to a 3.91% year‑over‑year increase.

Parents who spoke during the allotted public‑comment period urged the board to protect staffing levels and to preserve the current grade‑break organization amid plans for a middle‑school infrastructure project. “I a 100% approve and think [the budget] was very thoughtfully done,” parent Lisa Yanchi said, and asked the board to retain the pre‑K–2, 3–5 and 6–8 structure she credited with district success. Chad Hepner, a parent and former board member, urged the board to prioritize expansion of enrichment programs and questioned the district’s use of classroom technology, quoting research in testimony: “When tech enters education, learning goes down.” Another parent, Aaron Burakoff, said he moved to Weston for the schools and asked the board to avoid staffing cuts that would reduce individualized instruction.

Superintendent Eric Forte opened the board’s question‑and‑answer session, which…