Residents urge Winchester board to preserve safety officers and student supports amid budget workshopping

Community members at Winchester Public Schools' March 3 budget workshop urged the Board of Education to preserve positions and programs they said protect student safety and learning.

Officer Jessica Miko, identified as a Hinsdale School safety officer, told the board that school safety work is largely preventive: "When the safety position is reduced or removed, the impact is not theoretical. It means fewer trained eyes and ears focused specifically on prevention." Other speakers, including licensed marriage and family therapist Ramona Frost and parents Jennifer Mitchell and Tim Strahan, described how reductions would translate into larger class sizes, fewer interventions, less access to counseling and increased risk of out-of-district placements for students with complex needs.

Several residents urged the board to send the superintendent's proposed budget to the board of selectmen rather than preemptively trimming it at the education-board level. Multiple speakers and at least one board member said the district is pursuing advocacy with state officials and the governor's office to seek adjustments to the education-cost-sharing (ECS) formula and other support; those efforts were described as ongoing and not guaranteed to alter this budget round.

Public testimony framed the proposed cuts as both immediate risks to student well-being and long-term costs to the town if supports are diminished. The board heard repeated requests to keep safety and special-education staffing intact while searching for alternatives and potential state relief.

The board proceeded to debate and ultimately adopt a revised budget figure later in the meeting; public commenters said they would continue to monitor implementation and seek assurances on how the adopted total would be translated into specific staffing and program decisions.