Sharon voters reject controversial school budget, 114-99

SHARON – More than 200 residents packed the Sharon Center School gymnasium Friday, May 8, where voters narrowly rejected the Sharon Board of Education's proposed 2026-2027 spending plan by a vote of 114-99, sending the budget back to the Board of Finance after weeks of heated debate over school funding.

The rejected proposal – the ninth version of the budget since deliberations began months ago – carried a bottom line of $4,165,513 for the elementary school, unchanged from last year. The flat budget came after the BOF ordered the BOE in early April to remove nearly $70,000 from its spending plan.

The venue for the town meeting and budget vote was moved in advance from Sharon Town Hall to Sharon Center School to accommodate the anticipated crowd.

By 5:50 p.m. Friday evening, cars were already circling the full Sharon Center School lot looking for a spot. First Selectman Casey Flanagan held the door as residents, many with small children in tow or propped up on shoulders, streamed through the SCS door.

Friday’s vote drew by far the largest turnout for a Sharon budget meeting in recent years. By comparison, about 50 members of the public attended the 2023 vote, when both budgets passed unanimously. Attendance rose slightly to 60 in 2024, while fewer than 40 residents showed up last year.

The current 2025-2026 budget also faced a last-minute order from the BOF to reduce its proposal by $70,000, but it did not generate the same level of pushback that this year’s flat proposal brought.

Josh Holden, a Sharon resident of over a decade, stood outside in the late afternoon light as he bounced his two-year-old on his arm. He said he supported funding the school, a sentiment shared by many other young families in town.

“It seems like there’s a wave of families in the daycare that are taking more interest in the school and want to send their kids there,” he said. “I want it to be a good school.”

Many of those young families turned out Friday night, and, in a break of tradition for a town meeting vote, were permitted to speak out during the proceedings for a short public comment period before the formal tally. Many described frustration with what they viewed as inflexibility from the Board of Finance, which has pushed for flat budgets for years while attempting to correct a past accounting error that mistakenly placed capital expenses in the operating budget.

Due to a state law known as the minimum budget requirement, municipalities may not reduce education spending from the previous year, which the BOF has stated has left the BOE with an “inflated” budget.

Emily McGoldrick, who has two children at Sharon Day Care and one entering kindergarten next year, said SCS is primed for success, but it "can’t improve with its hands tied behind its back.”

Anne Vance, former BOE member, echoed McGoldrick’s frustration. “My experience is the Board of Finance does not listen and does not negotiate,” she said.

Others, including BOE Chair Philip O’Reilly, pushed back against claims the school would be underfunded with the current budget. O’Reilly said he supported the proposal because the school is well-funded under its current financial planning, largely due to expected year-end surplus funds and other reserves, totaling close to a quarter million dollars.

Meghan Flanagan, a SCS parent, supported O'Reilly's position.

“I am 100% yes,” she said, adding that “there is money in the school, and the kids are okay."

Flanagan said she was encouraged by the strong display of community engagement and school support. “There are bigger problems that I would like you all to get involved with,” she said, adding that “it’s not a money issue.”

Chip Kruger, another BOE member, also announced his support for the proposal, though Nancy Hegy-Martin, BOE vice chair, said she did not support the plan.

She gestured to the packed gym as testament to the importance of the issue of school funding. “Look around!” she said, “Do you know what a joy it is to see this many young people at a meeting around here?”

After the comment period, the registrars tallied the votes, which were cast by paper ballot due to the large crowd. Usually, the budget vote is conducted via an oral “yea or nay” or a show of hands.

As votes were counted, residents gathered in small groups around the room. Recent Sharon arrivals Jonathan Kupferer and Lara Ditkoff said they entered the meeting undecided, but swayed toward rejecting the proposal after hearing arguments that the denial of $70,000 reflected stubbornness from the Board of Finance. “If it’s such a small amount, why is it such a big deal?” Kupferer said, but noted, “I’m still on the fence.”

Ditkoff agreed, but said she supports funding education as a fundamental value. “Every little bit towards the kids is money well spent,” she said.

After registrars shared the results, many noted the margin of 15 votes was tight.

BOF member John Hecht said that he was disappointed with the outcome – ”unfortunately this was a vote of facts versus emotion.”

“When Philip O’Reilly stood up,” Hecht said of the BOE Chair’s testimony, “that was proof that this budget fully supported Sharon students…no student would be harmed at all by this budget.”

He said he will prioritize working with the BOE and the town as the budget negotiations continue.

BOF Chair Tom Bartram said his takeaway was that “everybody got the message that [the townspeople] really don’t care if it adds to our minimum budget requirement and they want to see more funding get to the school.”

“But I’m just one of six,” he added.

The Board of Finance now must reconvene to find a solution, with discussions expected to continue at its next regular meeting on May 19. If a new budget is not approved by July 1, the town will revert to the current year’s spending plan until a new budget passes – effectively keeping the proposed flat education budget in place for part of the next fiscal year.

Regardless of the outcome, many officials were pleased at the robust display of local politics Friday evening. Walking back to his car after the meeting, Chair O’Reilly said that no matter the vote, “the result is that we have an engaged public… that’s a win for the town.”

“I love it,” said First Selectman Flanagan. “It’s wonderful to see people engaged and I hope that it continues.”

The total town of Sharon spending plan – the combination of the municipal, elementary school and high school budgets, as proposed on Friday night totaled $11,502,187. With Sharon’s contribution to Region One high school expenses, total education spending in town totals $6,056,000. These figures could change as the BOF revisits the budget following Friday’s vote.