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budget

Kent education budget proposal rises 4.3% to $8.1M

Kent education budget proposal rises 4.3% to $8.1M
Kent Town Hall
Leila Hawken

KENT – The Board of Education presented its 2026-2027 budget proposal to the Board of Finance on Wednesday, March 25, showing a bottom line of combined expenditures for Kent Central School and Region One contributions at $8,146,440, a 4.32% increase from the previous year.

“While no one wants to cheer for any kind of budget increase, we’re pretty happy with that,” said Kate Symonds, chair of the BOE’s budget committee. “Percentage increases in the region have been significantly higher than that, as we’ve heard, so that number is pretty good,” she explained.

As of the current Region One budget draft, the bottom line is up over 6% from last year. While speaking to the Salisbury BOF earlier in the month, Region One Business Manager Sam Herrick said that it’s the biggest budget increase he’s seen in his 26 years working for the district.

BOE Chair Heather Brand said that Kent’s figures mark the “second lowest or the lowest” of Region One towns for this budget season.

Spending for Kent Center School sits at a total of $5,337,470, an increase of 2.69% over last year and markedly lower than increases in recent fiscal years. The number is subject to change as the BOE and BOF negotiate for a final proposal to send to a town hearing.

The town’s Region One costs are likely to total $2,808,970, 7.55% more than 2025-2026.

The Region One budget committee is set to meet for another budget review on April 6 before presenting a final proposal for public hearing on April 9.

Alec Linden
budget

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