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East Granby board urges turnout after budget referendum fails by 21 votes
Summary
The East Granby Board of Education discussed the narrow failure of the district budget, announced a town meeting and new referendum dates, and encouraged outreach after the town received roughly $250,000 in additional state aid.
The East Granby Board of Education on Monday reported that the school budget referendum failed by 21 votes — 361 in favor and 340 opposed — with turnout near 19 percent, and urged residents to vote in a rematch later this month.
Board chair said the board has scheduled a town meeting for May 18 at 7 p.m. at the community center and a referendum for May 26 from noon to 8 p.m.; absentee ballots will be available the morning of the referendum. “I hope people realize this is real,” the chair said, urging neighbors to discuss the school plan and to vote without directing how to cast ballots.
Why it matters: Low turnout left the board uncertain about community support for proposed spending. The chair said the town will receive about $250,000 in additional state aid under a recently updated formula and that the board of finance plans to use that aid to lower the mill rate, recommending a 2 percent overall increase for the coming year.
Board members emphasized outreach and clearer communications ahead of the vote. Superintendent Suzanne said staff and trustees will “spoon feed” accessible information to residents and add a slide of costs and planned grants to the district website and upcoming presentations so voters can review the details.
What’s next: The board and district communications team said they will run an information campaign ahead of the May 26 referendum and encourage residents to use absentee ballots if needed. The board did not change the budget numbers at the meeting but asked members to help educate their neighbors on the budget’s specifics.
