The Newington Board of Education reviewed the superintendent's proposed 2025-26 budget during its Feb. 12 meeting and plans to adopt that proposal as its own at the board's Feb. 19 meeting.

Board and staff presentations focused on department-level updates and follow-up questions requested by the board. Superintendent Dr. Bremer led the review of instructional program questions submitted after an earlier presentation; business officer Lou (surname not specified in the transcript) and other administrators gave detailed line-item explanations.

Why it matters: The board is proposing its initial adoption before further public hearings and town budget processes. Staff warned the budget depends on multiple uncertain revenue streams and a continued but reduced use of the district's non-lapsing fund to close gaps.

Administrators described several recommended adjustments that together reduce the requested operating budget: a $50,000 reduction for an efficiency in the effective school solutions line; proposed reductions of roughly $80,000 from library/media and related material adjustments; and targeted reductions in contract services where one-time ESSER funding had previously paid for positions. Staff said they would update presentation slides with follow-up answers and circulate them to the board before the Feb. 19 adoption vote.

Financial context and risk: Lou reported the district relied heavily on a non-lapsing fund created from savings early in the COVID period. That fund grew to roughly $3.4 million and was used to reconcile recent budgets; administration said it is trying to reduce reliance by running the coming year with a plan that reserves $1 million from the non-lapsing balance for current-year needs and rolls $2.4 million forward. The administration's intent, Lou said, is to cap non-lapsing reliance so the town and board move toward a more self-sustaining operating budget.

State and grant revenue uncertainties also shape the budget. Staff said projected Educational Cost Sharing payments to the town are roughly flat, and adult-education grants are comparatively small and paid to the town. The district expects continued Open Choice and ESSER-related offsets in some accounts but warned many federal and state items are not guaranteed beyond current fiscal years.

Next steps: The board will consider the superintendent's budget as its own at the Feb. 19 meeting and can make further adjustments before the town's budget process continues. Administrators will circulate the slide deck updates and answers to outstanding questions in writing prior to that meeting.