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Regional School District 08 board moves proposed $32.6 million budget to referendum; Hebron member objects
Summary
The Regional School District 08 board voted to adjourn its annual meeting and send a proposed operating budget and a $565,487 capital program to a public referendum, despite an objection from Hebron board member Terry McManus, who said cuts are needed for Hebron’s fiscal future. The transcript shows inconsistent budget and date figures that the board did not resolve at the meeting.
The Regional School District 08 board on April 9, 2025 moved a proposed operating budget to a public referendum after a motion passed at the district’s annual meeting.
Moderator and board members read the referendum questions and voting logistics during the meeting. The record first introduced an operating budget figure of $32,620,072 for fiscal year July 1, 2025–June 30, 2026; when the referendum language was read the transcript later lists an operating figure of $32,054,585 and a capital-improvement request of $565,487 as recommended by the Regional School District 8 Board of Education. The board announced polling places in Hebron (Hebron Elementary School), Andover (Andover Town Hall) and Marlboro (Marlboro Elementary School) and stated voting hours of 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The moderator called for a motion to adjourn the annual meeting to referendum on May 5, 2025; the motion was seconded and carried. During the roll call on that motion, Terry McManus of Hebron said he voted against moving the budget to referendum. “I cast a boat against moving this to referendum. For reasons that I’ll make clear as we come forward over the next few months,” McManus said, adding he had “great concerns of the fiscal future for the town of Hebron” and that “cuts need to be made.”
Colin McNamara, the district superintendent, was listed as present; Heather Summer was identified in the meeting record as the chairperson of the Board of Regional School District 08. The meeting referenced Connecticut General Statute sections governing the referendum process (transcript: “Connecticut General Statute Sections 10. - 51 and 7-7 as amended”).
The board did not resolve the inconsistencies in the transcript about the exact operating-budget figure (the meeting record contains both $32,620,072 and $32,054,585) or the referendum date (the meeting narrative initially refers to May 6 and later to May 5). The board approved the motion to send the budget to referendum at the meeting; final vote tallies other than McManus’ dissent were not recorded in the transcript. The district will publish the official referendum notice with the final question language, exact figures and polling instructions ahead of the vote.
The meeting record was dated April 9, 2025 and signed “by the Order of the Chairperson of the Board of Regional School District, 8, Heather Summer.”
