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New Milford board outlines $4 million budget shortfall; staff and program adjustments proposed
Summary
Superintendent told the board the district is roughly $4 million over target for 2026–27, citing sharp health‑benefit increases and drops in state aid; proposals include several FTE reductions, restructured aide hours, and use of capital reserves for facilities but not operating costs.
Superintendent said the district entered budget planning “approximately $4,000,000 over budget,” and presented a package of reductions and targeted changes to align expenditures with projected revenue.
The superintendent said health‑benefit costs have climbed sharply and compounded over recent years and that cuts in state aid have reduced discretionary revenue. “All reductions are designed to have as direct an impact as possible on our students,” the superintendent said, adding that some administrative and support roles were reduced or restructured to preserve classroom positions where feasible.
As presented to the board, the proposed staffing changes include eliminating one media‑specialist FTE, one central‑office FTE, two bus drivers, two bus aides, 2.6 support‑staff FTEs and one maintenance position that will not be replaced after retirement; the administration also offered part‑time reassignments to roughly 25 instructional assistants previously budgeted as full time. The superintendent said the district offered part‑time positions to affected employees and that many have already accepted those roles.
Administrators framed other savings as programmatic and operational: reducing paid sixth‑period sections at the secondary level, auditing transportation routes (including six fewer courtesy routes), shifting some supervision costs to the cafeteria fund, delaying certain architectural and engineering expenditures, and negotiating multi‑license technology purchases to curb future costs. The presentation cited revenue of 52,452,478 and said projected expenditures must match that figure.
The board discussed revenue trends and one presenter noted a more than 50% decline in tuition revenue from other districts as seats filled by New Milford residents. The superintendent reiterated that capital reserve funds can be used for facility projects — windows, doors and locker‑room work were specifically mentioned — but cannot be used to cover operating expenses such as hiring or benefits.
What happens next: The board received the presentation and approved a slate of consent motions later in the meeting that included grouped finance and personnel items (see “Votes at a glance”). The administration said it will continue to refine staffing assignments and communicate with affected employees and families.
