Sharon BOF sends rejected school budget back to voters unchanged

SHARON – Following months of conflict between the Board of Finance, the Board of Education and concerned parents, Sharon residents will return to vote on the same budget proposal that was rejected in early May, with town officials opting to leave the proposal’s bottom line unchanged and instead set aside separate funding that the school could access if needed.

During its regular meeting on Tuesday, June 16, the BOF opted not to change the bottom line of the BOE’s operating budget for Sharon Center School, instead moving to establish a special fund of $35,000 to be drawn from the town’s undesignated account upon the school’s request. Voters will also be asked to approve the fund during the budget vote, which is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Monday, June 29 at Town Hall, immediately preceded by a public hearing at 5 p.m., also at Town Hall.

The amount is just over half of the approximately $69,000 that the BOE was asked to remove from its budget draft in April to keep the bottom line flat from last year at $4,165,513. That action, which followed a multi-year trend of requests from the BOF for a 0% increase for the SCS budget, sparked outcry from concerned parents.

Speaking at the May 8 town meeting where the budget proposal was rejected, SCS parent Emily McGoldrick said that the school is poised to thrive, but that it “can’t improve with its hands tied behind its back.”

The BOF has repeatedly stated that its motivation is to correct an accounting error made several years ago that left the school with an “inflated” budget due to a state law known as the Minimum Budget Requirement, or MBR, that prevents municipalities from reducing education spending year to year. Several members have indicated that due to inflation and increased operating costs, this may be the last year it can ask for a flat budget, but the Board has remained steadfast in keeping the bottom line flat for 2026-27.

The BOF has stated on several occasions that its justification for requesting a zero-increase budget is that the BOE has finished the past five fiscal years with unspent budgeted funds. As of the June 16 meeting, SCS administrators calculated that the school would be left with $90,000 in surplus at the end of this year.

School advocates remained dissatisfied following Tuesday’s action by the BOF.

“At this point, I don’t understand what they want,” said Marlene Woodman, who identified herself as a senior resident concerned with the future success of the school. Several days after the meeting, she said she was still unclear on how the new fund would work, especially with the “paltry” amount, in her words.

School administrators were also initially skeptical. Region One Superintendent of Schools Melony Brady-Shanley hassuggested that the town establish a dedicated school line item in the municipal budget to help with operating and maintenance costs, reiterating at the June 16 meeting that the approach is “the most economical way to support both the education budget and municipal budget without touching the MBR.”

The proposal that was ultimately moved forward by the BOF differs by instead drawing the money from the town’s undesignated fund on a contingency basis rather than creating a designated line item.

“It’s an as-needed thing,” explained Hecht, noting that the approach does not impact either budget’s bottom line, “and it’s not going to go away.”

A few days after the meeting, Hecht said in order to access the funds, the school will have to demonstrate that the budget would not support a specific expense.

“This is just the way to not tax people in advance for funds that may not be needed,” he said of the fund, “but if they do need them, these funds are available.”

During Tuesday’s meeting, BOE Chair Philip O’Reilly said the idea of having to approach the BOF with a specific request to access the funds made him uncomfortable. “The ‘if-needed’ piece is something we’re both nervous about,” he said, gesturing towards Brady-Shanley.

“One hundred percent,” she affirmed with a nod.

Still, several days after the meeting O’Reilly said that the suggestion was a gesture of cooperation amongst what has been a contentious period for the town. “Nobody is a loser here,” he said; “Everybody got something, but not everything, that they originally wanted.

“I will do everything that I can do to ensure our school has everything it needs to meet the needs of all our kids.”

Delayed budget could impact town spending

At the same meeting, BOS’ proposed operating budget bottom line was reduced by approximately $30,000, partially due to cuts in line items for the recently hired Land Use Administrator and Fire Marshall and Building Inspector. The latter two, previously proposed as separate positions, were hired as a combined role the previous Friday.

If a new budget isn’t passed by July 1, both the town and school will operate under the current 2025-2026 plans. While that leaves the school budget flat, which is currently proposed, it could impact municipal spending which has several increases in the proposed 2026-2027 budget.

Town treasurer Tina Pitcher said that until a new budget is approved, road work isn’t being ordered, nor are new vehicles and town equipment, and employees, with the exception of the unionized road crew, won’t see their 3% cost of living raise. It will also impact the pay structure for new hires, such as Nikki Blass, who begins her role as the Land Use Administrator on July 1.

First Selectman Casey Flanagan said that he will proceed cautiously regarding any town spending until a new budget is approved.

During a June 9 meeting, the Board of Selectmen preemptively set the mill rate in response to a request from Tax Assessor Donna Christensen so that she can begin preparing real estate tax bills to be sent in July. For now, the mill rate has been set at the current amount of 11.15.