East Lyme school board adopts $67.2 million budget after debate over high-school library aide

The East Lyme Board of Education voted on March 2 to adopt a $67,224,660 operating budget for the 2026–27 school year, a 6.31% increase from the current year, after a public hearing in which parents, teachers and a librarian urged the board to restore a proposed cut to a high-school library assistant.

The motion to approve the budget was made by the acting chair and seconded; the board called the question and the motion passed. One member recorded an abstention during the roll call. The board directed staff to assemble budget materials for the town board of finance and next procedural steps.

The bulk of the board presentation emphasized fixed costs and contract-driven increases. A presenter summarized the superintendent’s proposal, saying salaries and benefits make up the largest portion of the budget and that a recently signed five‑year bus contract and higher insurance and pension costs are major drivers. The presenter noted the district’s projection placed health‑insurance growth in the 12–15% range, which affects the final numbers the town will record.

Public comment focused heavily on the proposed elimination of the high‑school library assistant position. Scott Mehan, president of the East Lyme Teachers Association, read a letter from Janine Barber, the high‑school librarian, who described a decade of library staffing losses and said the remaining staff were already overburdened. "Losing this position will weaken access and program," the letter said, warning the library could be closed during parts of the day and that instruction and media‑literacy work would suffer.

A parent, Beth Dowd, told the board the library is a safe place for students and said the space had been closed for part of a day recently because of staffing shortages. A resident who testified during the hearing noted the high school enrolls about 880 students and urged the board to restore the position even if it modestly increases the district percentage change.

Board members acknowledged the difficulty of balancing long‑term program impacts against near‑term budget constraints. One presenter and multiple members noted previous staff reductions and pointed to other potential savings — such as repurposing equipment and delaying some capital projects — but said options were limited because approximately 95% of the budget goes to fixed costs and contract obligations.

The board approved the budget at the meeting and will present it to the town board of finance on March 23; subsequent public hearing and referendum steps were referenced in the meeting materials but specific remaining dates were not specified in the transcript.

Votes at a glance: Motion to adopt the FY 2026–27 budget of $67,224,660 (6.31% increase). Moved by the acting chair (Speaker 2); seconded (Speaker 6). The motion carried; the transcript records multiple 'aye' responses and at least one abstention.