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Waterford Board adopts $62,999,628 education budget after restoring two elementary teachers and removing kiln funding
Summary
After debate over class sizes and program equipment, the Waterford Board of Education approved a $62,999,628 education budget for 2026–27. The board voted to remove $9,150 earmarked for school kilns and to retain two elementary teaching positions at an estimated $214,000.
The Waterford Board of Education voted to approve its fiscal year 2026–27 education budget in the amount of $62,999,628 after amending the proposal to remove funding for school kilns and to keep two elementary teaching positions that had been slated for reduction.
A board member urged the board to restore elementary staff, saying the proposed budget "does not ensure the best educational outcomes for our Waterford students" and warning that eliminating three teachers at Great Neck would harm early interventions for a more diverse and higher-need elementary population. The speaker proposed adding two elementary teachers—one for Quaker Hill second grade and one for Great Neck third grade—and asked staff for cost guidance.
Finance staff provided the cost estimate for retaining the two positions as approximately $214,000 in salary, FICA and health benefits combined. The board also debated a $9,150 item originally included in the FY27 budget to purchase and install kilns at Waterford High School and Clark Lane Middle School for the art curriculum; members moved to remove that line so the district could reallocate the non-lapsing account funds.
Board members discussed the net effect on the overall levy and budget growth. Finance staff said the package of changes moved the budget from roughly a 4.96% increase to about a 5.3% increase year over year, and identified two principal drivers of the rise: salary increases and a budgeted 12% increase for health insurance tied to the state partnership plan.
Motions were made and seconded in public: one to back the kilns out of the FY27 budget (the motion passed by voice vote with no recorded opposition), one to retain the two teaching positions (the motion passed by voice vote), and a final motion to adopt the amended FY26–27 education budget for $62,999,628 (the board approved the final figure by voice vote). The board chair confirmed the figure on the record before the final approval.
The budget discussion included procedural clarifications from finance staff about whether the retained positions represented rehiring for vacant, previously funded slots or new hires; staff said the positions were attrition reductions that would now be preserved, keeping certified staffing near prior levels.
Next steps: the board approved the amended budget; no additional formal referrals or contingency plans were recorded in the meeting minutes for further adjustments.
