Board approves consent agenda, transfers $450,000 for early-retirement incentive and sets June 17 graduation

The Darien Board of Education unanimously approved the consent agenda at its March 11 special meeting, which included minutes, the January 2026 financial report, proposed budget transfers, committee and personnel reports, and a recommendation to set the high school graduation for June 17 with a rain date of June 18.

A district finance presenter outlined four transfers: "The first is for $450,000 for the DEA early retirement incentive," he said, adding that those funds would come from salary savings, out-of-district tuition turnover savings and other budget offsets. Other transfers included $5,000 for a Board facilitator at the retreat, $132,119 for higher electric costs attributed to a colder winter, and $20,400 for additional heating costs; all were described as funded by turnover and salary savings and other credits.

The chair opened the consent agenda and a motion to approve was made and seconded; the chair announced unanimous approval. The transcript does not record an individual roll-call vote count in the minutes. The graduation schedule was included on the consent agenda: middle-school promotion on June 16, high-school graduation on June 17 and a rain date of June 18.

Also discussed earlier in the meeting was a first reading of several Board policies (policy numbers cited), including a note from the policy presenter that state statute requires inclusion of community resources in the district's child-abuse policy (Policy 5020); the policies were presented for first reading and were not voted on.

Next steps: the presenter said he would confirm whether certain school-administered social-media communications are retained as FOIA records; the budget transfers and graduation date were approved as part of the consent agenda.