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Trustees authorize larger deficit borrowing, unveil staffing cuts to address $8.1M shortfall
Summary
The South Country Central School District board voted to increase its deficit-borrowing authorization from $12 million to $15 million and heard a staffing plan that would reduce roughly 59.5 FTE to narrow an estimated $8.1 million structural deficit, while the administration outlined transportation and contract savings. Public speakers urged alternatives to teacher cuts.
The South Country Central School District Board of Education on March 25 voted to expand its deficit-borrowing authorization from $12 million to $15 million and heard a detailed staffing and budget presentation that administration says is necessary to close a multi-year shortfall.
Superintendent Mr. Santana told the board the slides presented are "not a set of choices we want to make. It's a set of decisions that we have to make," citing declining enrollment and rising mandatory costs in special education, employee health care and transportation as drivers of the district's fiscal gap. "At this point in time for the 2025-26 year . . . we have a cumulative deficit of about $8.1 million," the administration said.
Board members passed the resolution to increase the special-act borrowing authorization and extend the period for borrowing to June 30,…
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