Board of Finance cuts K–8 budget by $77,932 after third referendum fails

Chair Stephanie Summers called the special Board of Finance meeting to order at 6:36 p.m. and opened by noting the third referendum on the Willington School District K–8 budget had failed by about 45 votes and that the town has only about six weeks of reserves.

Summers framed the board’s task around current cost pressures and data the board had circulated, saying “as of the end of May, the current rate of inflation is 4.2%.” She and staff presented line-item drivers of the increase: teacher contract pay raises, a six-figure outplacement, and higher employee health-insurance costs built into the K–8 budget.

Why it matters: the district’s requested increase, after prior cuts, remained sizeable and voters rejected the proposal three times. Board members debated whether to rely on voters’ expressed fiscal preference or on staff-calculated constraints. A concerned member who identified himself as Bruce told the board the $50,000 reduction voters had heard about was not meaningful and argued the board had not listened to voters. Chair Summers and others pushed back that cumulative cuts totaled about $350,000 across prior rounds and that details should be stated in members’ own words rather than read verbatim from public letters.

Finance staff and members discussed specific budget drivers. Phil Stevens summarized three large pressures: contracts (some up for renewal), insurance (about an 18% increase), and seven outplacements in a district of roughly 370 students—each a major per-pupil cost driver. Members also cited a Connecticut Education Association study cited in the meeting that said Willington had staffing levels above a state-recommended ratio; speakers disagreed on whether and how that finding should influence immediate cuts.

After debate about whether to aim for a townwide increase equal to inflation, board members' calculations—confirmed by staff—showed that cutting $77,932 from the proposed K–8 budget would bring the K–8 total to $10,274,025, produce a 2.6% year-over-year increase for K–8, and result in a 4.2% overall town rate with a roughly 1.07 mill tax-rate increase. A motion to make that reduction was placed and seconded. In discussion members warned the cut could translate to roughly four staff positions depending on choices and nonlapsing funds; others said the cut would likely satisfy voter concerns.

Roll-call and next steps: the board took a roll-call vote on the reduction motion. Mr. Ross—yes; Mr. Bunell—yes; Miss Moss—yes; Mr. Pel—yes; Mr. Lawler—no; Chair Stephanie Summers—yes. The motion passed, 5–1. The board then moved and amended a second motion to send the revised K–8 figure ($10,274,025) to the Board of Selectmen so a town meeting can be scheduled for another referendum.

Town counsel and staff process: Mike Maku advised the board that the Board of Selectmen may set a temporary mill rate under state law (cited in the meeting as 12-123) to enable tax bills to be prepared; he warned that if final figures change the town might have to issue two sets of tax bills and that the temporary mill rate allows the revenue collector and assessor to start billing on schedule.

The meeting closed with members thanking staff for providing detailed numbers and acknowledging the decision’s difficulty. The Board of Finance passed the reduction and authorized sending the revised budget to the Board of Selectmen to schedule a town meeting for a fourth referendum.