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Region 8 board weighs $652,000 in reductions to lower proposed increase to 2.77%
Summary
Superintendent presented $652,000 in recommended reductions — including staff adjustments, equipment deferrals and procedural savings — to lower Region 8’s proposed budget increase from 4.77% to 2.77%. The board discussed reinstating an instructional-technology specialist and prioritized minimizing classroom impacts.
The Regional School District 8 Board of Education reviewed detailed recommendations to trim the district's proposed 2026–27 budget by $652,000, bringing the recommended increase to 2.77% from an originally proposed 4.77%.
Superintendent Colin said the reductions are a mix of near-term savings and items shifted into future budgets. The plan combines roughly $66,636 in negotiated software and supply savings, about $158,000 of purchases moved into the current fiscal year, $468,000 in personnel adjustments and $59,000 of equipment or small-ticket items deferred to later budgets. "Taken together, that brings our budget to $33,525,183," Colin said.
Why it matters: the board must present a number that member towns can take to their voters or boards of selectmen. Colin told members that most of the operating budget — about 73% — pays for salaries and benefits, and that some reductions preserve classroom programs by focusing on noninstructional costs where possible.
Key reductions and trade-offs: the superintendent recommended removing a proposed instructional-technology specialist position and postponing science lab furniture, leadership-class equipment and other nonessential purchases. He also described personnel moves including one high-school resignation not being filled, a high-school science position shifted to another assignment, and two school counselors voluntarily reducing their FTEs (a combined saving that contributes toward the personnel total). Colin said the counselor changes arose after the initial workshop and helped close the gap.
Board response: Several members expressed repeated interest in restoring the instructional-technology specialist because it supports classroom instruction and long-term digital integration. "I would love to keep the technology specialist," Scott Soyette said, noting that adding the role back might raise the increase only modestly. Other members urged caution about returning to higher percentages given neighboring towns’ budget pressures.
Next steps: Board members asked administration to model a few alternatives — for example, restoring the tech position plus a smaller equipment item — and to return with an updated figure once insurance rates and special-education transportation savings are finalized. Colin said he would present those options to the board ahead of their April budget-setting meeting.
What the board did not decide: no final budget vote occurred at the meeting. Members emphasized they want to minimize direct classroom impacts and will weigh restoring select items if other assumptions (insurance, transportation) produce additional savings.
Source: Board discussion and presentation by the superintendent at the Region 8 Board of Education meeting on Feb. 1, 2026.
