Regional School District 08 board adopts revised $32.8 million budget ahead of May 26 referendum

Regional School District 08’s board voted to adopt a revised 2026–27 operating budget of approximately $32.83 million and a $331,037 capital plan after a public budget hearing and discussion on May 25. Superintendent Colin McNamara told the board the revisions combine personnel reductions, non-personnel cuts and use of a district reserve to lower next year’s ask.

McNamara presented class-size ranges and then walked through recommended adjustments. He said not filling four positions (two retirements, one high-school resignation and one vacant special-education para) would reduce salaries and benefits by $386,358 and that further personnel-line savings and smaller operational cuts together bring total personnel reductions to about $450,358. He recommended roughly $160,000 in reductions in special-education tuition and transportation and proposed pre-purchasing maintenance equipment and repairs (about $52,025) using current-year funds to avoid five-year financing.

On capital projects, McNamara said a loading-dock replacement bid came in higher than expected, pushing that project from roughly $425,000 to about $507,000. To offset capital costs, he proposed applying $235,000 from the district’s Fund for Educational Expenditures (a statutory reserve sourced from prior-year surpluses) and removing lower-priority line-painting from next year’s capital ask; with those moves he presented a revised capital total of approximately $331,037.

McNamara also described modest revenue changes: an expected $26,000 decrease in excess-cost reimbursement tied to special-education expenditures and an anticipated $15,000 increase for an added Columbia student, for a net revenue decrease of about $10,642. After accounting for all adjustments, McNamara presented a net operating budget of $32,832,558 (a 0.65% increase) that he said he hoped would be acceptable to the community.

Board members discussed policy options such as reinstating “pay to play” (fees for athletics and extracurriculars). Some members warned that reinstituting fees could depress community support and drive away participating students; others urged the administration to provide clearer per-program cost breakdowns so the board and public can evaluate tradeoffs. “I would not recommend the board entertaining bringing that back in,” one board member said, arguing fees could be counterproductive to passing the budget.

During public comment, local educators and residents emphasized the value of extracurricular offerings and raised concerns about class sizes and long-term staffing costs. Educator Valentine Leicher said extracurriculars helped students graduate and urged caution before imposing fees. Several residents pressed the board for clarity on reserve balances; administrators explained the Fund for Educational Expenditures may hold up to 2% of the prior year’s budget, that the district has used the fund for projects such as athletic-field repairs and that a $235,000 surplus from last year is being applied to reduce next year’s capital ask.

Following the presentation and public comment, a motion was made, seconded and approved to adopt the revised 2026–27 operating and capital budgets and move them to referendum. The board scheduled the referendum for May 26 and a virtual district budget meeting on May 25 as part of the statutory timeline.

Next steps: the adopted budget will be placed on the May 26 referendum ballot; administrators said they will post the presentation materials online and can provide additional program-level cost breakdowns if the board requests them.