Sharon residents overwhelmingly approve BOE budget in reversal of May vote

SHARON – Sharon residents voted resoundingly in favor of the proposed 2026-27 town spending plan on Monday, June 29, reversing their rejection of the budget several weeks ago and bringing to an end the dispute over funding of the Sharon Center School.

The proposal passed Monday by a vote of 90 in favor versus 12 against, a turnaround from essentially the same one that was rejected 114-99 at a May 8 town meeting. That meeting brought the highest turnout in recent memory to a budget vote.

The only difference in the updated budget is a minor reduction in the municipal bottom line due to staffing changes at Town Hall, coming in at a total of $5,408,605. The Board of Education’s elementary school budget remained unchanged with a bottom line of $4,165,513.

Sharon Center School has been the subject of an extended dispute between the Board of Finance – which cites fiscal responsibility as its motivation to keep the budget flat – and school advocates who have described the board’s actions as inflexible.

After weeks of negotiations, the Board of Finance returned the same education budget to voters while creating a $35,000 reserve fund from its undesignated account that could be used for school expenses if needed.

During the meeting, BOF Chair Tom Bartram said the fund was an attempt “to solve the disparity between what the BOF would authorize and what the BOE presented,” referring to an earlier draft of the education budget that was trimmed by $69,000 to meet the BOF’s 0% increase requirement.

Since the fund was proposed by the BOF at its June 16 meeting, several school administrators and advocates have criticized the amount and for having the BOF be in control of disbursing the money. Still, the new fund passed.

First Selectman Casey Flanagan said he was happy the town could agree on a budget before the start of the fiscal year on July 1. “We can schedule road work, we can put orders in on vehicles and equipment,” he said. He also said new hires and town employees with cost-of-living wage increases will see normal pay.

Flanagan said he thought the creation of the fund was a turning point in getting the town to approve the budget. “No one got everything they wanted,” he said. And when dealing with compromises, “that’s a good thing.”

BOE Chair Philip O’Reilly agreed with Flanagan’s assessment. He said the public budget disputes of the last two months have demonstrated the importance of “informed citizenship” in processes like these.

O’Reilly has consistently affirmed that the proposed flat budget is a well-funded budget for the school that will provide for its students’ needs.

“Somehow the message got out that we weren’t taking care of our children,” he said, “and that couldn’t be further from the truth, and it never will be true.”