Scotland faces $525,000 spike in education costs; budget hearing set for May 26

First Selectman Dana Barrow Jr. told the Board of Selectmen on May 19 that a one-year enrollment increase at Regional District 11 produced a $525,000 rise in the town’s education costs for FY2027. "The budget went up $525,000.00 this year," he said, and asked residents to attend the upcoming hearings.

The Board scheduled the Annual Budget Hearing for May 26, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. at the Community Center in the Public Safety Complex and the Annual Budget Meeting for June 9, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. Barrow said the increase is expected to be a single-year exception and that school and district expenses will be examined during the hearings. Town officials noted SES (Scotland Elementary School) expenses are estimated to increase about $80,000 for FY27, a line-item the Board identified as particularly consequential to the town budget.

Treasurer David Zito provided preliminary April financials at the meeting, including that current-year tax revenue collections through March 31 totaled $4.78 million (about 99.3% of budget) and total revenues through April were reported at $6.44 million, or 101.4% of the full year’s budget. Board members emphasized the upcoming hearings will be the forum for discussing how to address the added education cost burden and reviewed related capital and contingency balances.