Farmington budget committee grills proposed school budget as transport, special education and facilities needs rise

Farmington’s Budget Committee on Jan. 6 pressed school administrators for details after the SAU presented a FY2026–27 budget binder showing sharp increases in transportation and special-education spending and a string of facilities needs that may require additional warrant articles.

Chairman Manny Krasner opened the meeting and invited SAU Superintendent Giselle Pomeroy and her staff to walk the committee through the binder, which the administration compiled using the district’s most recent complete audit (fiscal year 2021–22) and state DRA timelines for SB2 towns. Pomeroy asked members to focus first on transportation, facilities, special education and curriculum because those areas contain the largest and most complex changes.

Transportation and fleet: fleet shrinkage, driver shortages and a lease-purchase plan

Transportation Director Tim Eldridge told the committee the district is reducing the fleet because ridership and student numbers have declined and because the district lacks drivers. He reported the operation currently employs three full‑time drivers and three part‑time drivers and said “not all of them have the CDL license,” meaning only some staff can operate the larger buses. Eldridge recommended replacing the most worn vehicles via a five‑year lease rather than an up‑front purchase, noting a new bus would cost about $130,000 outright but would carry an estimated lease payment of roughly $30,000 a year.

Committee members also flagged a large increase in contracted transportation services for out‑of‑district special‑education placements: the proposed budget shows $470,000 versus about $322,000 actually spent the prior year. SAU finance staff said out‑of‑district transport can run “$500–$600 a day” per student, so costs vary widely depending on placement needs.

Facilities: underground fuel tank and alarm panels may need extra funds

Facilities Director Larry Gordon said the district’s underground fuel tanks are under scrutiny because regulatory changes may require redesigned siting or permitting. He said the district is currently using a temporary above‑ground 1,000‑gallon tank and is consulting DES for next steps.

Gordon also warned that Henry Wilson’s fire‑alarm control panel is obsolete and that replacing a panel — and the associated strobes and alarms — could cost about $52,000; the draft budget lists $40,000. “If they change the panel they have to change all the strobes, alarms and everything to go into the new panel,” Gordon said, and committee members suggested that line likely needs more funding or a warrant article.

District staff noted many kitchen items and other equipment are nearing the end of useful life but that a Kitchen Repairs Capital Reserve Fund exists and could be tapped before increasing operating‑line budgets that currently include only token dollar amounts for some repairs.

Special education and personnel shifts

Director of Student Services Lisa Kuenzler said the district has roughly 180–187 students receiving special‑education services and currently has 11 students placed out of district. Kuenzler and SAU staff proposed restoring a school psychologist to the payroll (listed at a $76,000 salary) rather than continuing an outside contract that cost about $155,000. Kuenzler also told the committee the district is facing a significant health‑insurance increase: “our health insurance premiums for next year has gone up significantly by 40%,” she said, and urged members to consider that spike in benefit lines.

The administration explained several staffing changes from the prior year: Pomeroy said nine positions had been moved off the operating budget in the prior cycle (seven eliminated, two shifted to grants) and that some departures were voluntary or handled via buyouts. The district also intends to restore some positions in the coming year and has included line items to reflect those choices.

Curriculum and grants: external funding covers much programming

Curriculum Director Kimberly McGlinchey described a relatively small operating budget (about 1.14% of the total) but emphasized that grant revenue — Title I, Title II, Title IV, IDEA, NH Charitable grants, Friends of Farmington and others — funds many programs, including after‑school tutoring, STEAM, music grants and culinary equipment. McGlinchey estimated the district’s grant portfolio last year approached the high hundreds of thousands and said staff used rollovers to fund startup work for ongoing programs.

Governance, CBAs and next steps

Committee members pressed for clarity about the district’s Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), which will appear as a warrant‑article item with dollar impacts listed for voters. Committee members requested access to the CBA’s cost implications before deliberative sessions. Other likely warrant‑article items discussed included the underground fuel tank and replacement bleachers at the high school.

Budget totals and committee reaction

A number of committee members noted the proposed operating budget total of about $19.6 million, which the committee compared with the prior year’s final budget of roughly $15.6 million and the most recent actual expenditures of about $17.1 million. Members asked for more time to digest the binder and for clearer line‑item explanations; SAU leaders said they will accept emailed follow‑up questions and return with clarifications at future meetings.

The committee set a further budget review for Jan. 14, 2026 and a public hearing for Jan. 16, 2026. The meeting adjourned at 7:25 p.m. after a motion passed 11–0.

What’s next

The SAU encouraged committee members to review the binder in detail and forward questions by email; the committee will reconvene for continuing review prior to the Jan. 16 public hearing.