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Regional School District 09 board approves 2025–26 operating budget, schedules public hearing April 2
Summary
The board approved the 2025–26 operating budget in a unanimous vote and set the public district hearing for April 2, 2025 at Joel Barlow High School. Board discussion centered on reserve targets, health-insurance projections and trade-offs with capital allocations.
The Regional School District 09 Board of Education voted unanimously to approve the proposed 2025–26 operating budget and set a public district hearing for April 2, 2025.
Board members approved a motion to adopt a 2025–26 operating budget presented in the meeting; the motion’s text put the total budget at roughly $26.49 million and listed apportionments to the district’s towns (the board said the precise totals would be confirmed in the official minutes). The board described the overall increase as 4.26% over the current year.
Administrators reviewed a budget “sandbox” of potential reductions that would lower next year’s budget from the initial presentation (examples included approximately $50,000 in anticipated athletics sponsorship revenue, roughly $150,000 in reductions to noncertified positions, and about $54,112 in additional administrative reductions). Brown & Brown, the district’s benefit consultant, provided a revised estimate for health-insurance claims that was discussed as the board balanced reserve targets against capital needs.
Board members debated how to apportion one-time adjustments between capital and reserve funds. One proposal that received support moved $200,000 from this year’s budget into capital while restoring $50,000 to the health reserve for next year to preserve flexibility. The board agreed to monitor health-claims volatility and revisit final accounting entries in June if needed.
The board also adopted a legal warning setting April 2, 2025, at 7 p.m. at the Joel Barlow High School library for the public hearing on the FY2025–26 budget.
Why it matters: The adopted budget and reserve choices will affect Region 9’s classroom programs, capital pipeline and the towns’ share of next year’s costs. The board emphasized the balance between preserving capital capacity for summer projects and maintaining a health-insurance reserve to cover potential claims volatility.
What’s next: The district will present the proposed budget at the April 2 public hearing and continue FNO (finance and operations) committee work, with targeted meetings (including an April 22 session) to finalize capital priorities and STEM-design bids.
