Bolton school board OKs budget plan, discusses possible cuts

Feb. 25—BOLTON — The Board of Education voted unanimously Thursday night to adopt Superintendent Kristin Heckt's proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year, though board members questioned whether the town would approve the proposal as is.

The $16.2 million budget, a $1 million or 6.88% bump over the current year, proposes no new programs, additional hiring, or improvements to schools.

Contractual obligations, special education costs, and maintenance of operations are the sole drivers of the increase.

Officials have said that adjusted for the 2022 inflation rate, the budget is actually 0.87% higher than the previous year.

Heckt began the meeting with a presentation on potential cuts that could be made to the budget at the Board of Education's request, though she said she was not advocating for the reductions.

Heckt said cutting all clubs and athletics for Bolton Center School and Bolton High School and removing seven teaching positions could provide a $900,000 or 5.94% reduction to the budget.

The potential staff cuts make up roughly $570,000 of the reduction, with the remainder from extracurricular programs.

"This is the level of dismantling of public education in Bolton that will take place, if the Board of Finance or the taxpayers reduce this budget drastically, as has happened previously," Heckt said.

Heckt said elementary class sizes are currently between 16 and 21, and cutting teachers could push that to 25 or more. World language for grades 7 and 8 would be eliminated, following its removal for grades 5 and 6 last year. High school students would lose various class offerings, including Advanced Placement and early college experience courses.

Heckt said the district is fully staffed and not expecting any employees to retire in the near future, leaving no unfilled positions that could be cut.

Heckt said the costs related to sports and clubs are primarily for personnel, making up roughly $213,000 of the total $330,000. The remainder funds expenses related to sports activities, including transportation.

Heckt said there could be savings in the district's health insurance, as the increase could be lower than budgeted for.

"Potentially that could be savings, but it's not going to be hundreds of thousands of dollars," Heckt said.

After the presentation, Board of Education members quickly reached a consensus to not make any cuts before sending a budget to the Board of Finance, which must approve it before the Board of Selectmen can send the full municipal budget to a referendum.

Chairman Andrew Broneill said he found the presentation "shocking," and noted that the potential cuts would not prevent an overall budget increase.

Board member Rhea Klein said parents would probably "freak out" if they saw the potential cuts.

Board member Scott Rich said all students would be affected by a reduction in teachers, and nearly all students participate in the district's extracurricular activities.

Broneill said it is difficult to imagine the town approving the district's budget, despite the severity of any reductions.

"Things certainly don't look good," Broneill said.

Rich said no one area has cuts that would be easy to swallow, and the budget could face further reductions during the Board of Finance and Board of Selectmen's processes.

"I think showing the full impact of why we are where we are is most important," Rich said.

Vice Chairwoman Susan Pike said she felt an important piece of the puzzle is educating taxpayers on why the budget is as high as it is, instead of lessening the blow.

"I think cutting it at this point is only going to make the situation worse," Pike said.

Broneill said the next step is to work on an argument that the proposed budget increase is valid and necessary.

The Board of Education will present its adopted budget to the Board of Finance on March 16.

Heckt said the district will send out a message next week to spread awareness of the Board of Education's budget and the impact of any potential cuts.

Joseph covers Manchester and Bolton for the Journal Inquirer.