Dear Region 20 Community,
On Tuesday, despite an increase of 10 percent in yes votes, the second Region 20 School Budget proposal failed with approximately 53 percent of voters rejecting it. The failed budget represents an ever-growing storm cloud for Region 20. If Region 20 does not pass its operating budget before July 1, we must revert to the operating budget established for the 2024-2025 school year. That represents a reduction of $1,947,359.32, requiring dramatic reductions in spending so that we do not repeat history and run a deficit in year two.
There is no doubt that the budget that was created for the current school year was significantly flawed. It dramatically overestimated revenue and failed to account for known major expenses, leading to a projected deficit of $2.7 million. I am pleased to share that, working with the First Selectmen, a solution has been discussed to address the operating deficit by using the fund balance, with the understanding that formal approvals are still required from the Boards of Selectmen and Finance, as well as the voters/taxpayers at a Town Meeting. I have also agreed that Region 20 administration will collaborate with a financial oversight board established by the Boards of Selectmen and Finance to regain public trust in how the district manages its finances. Resolving the deficit and establishing trust are essential for Region 20, and I am grateful to our First Selectmen, Boards of Selectmen, and Finance for their willingness to support our schools.
The challenge of addressing the two-time-rejected school budget remains. I have used several key assumptions in each proposed budget to guide my decision-making. Our operating budget must target district resources to support quality classroom instruction, support school operations, and set the district on a sustainable financial path. Because of these priorities, I decided to reduce several positions in the District Administration, including the Assistant Superintendent position. District administration is critical, but it is essential to right-size the district leadership team to the district's size and complexity and ensure future budgets are much more manageable. There is no doubt that this reduction will cause disruption and shift more responsibilities onto those who remain, but in my estimation, the reduction was essential at this juncture.
Including the administrative cuts of the Assistant Superintendent, the Executive Assistant to the Superintendent, the Assistant to the Assistant Superintendent, and the Dean of Students / Athletic Director from the high school, the district has eliminated 26 positions since July! As I now look to how else I might reduce potential expenditures, I find myself out of viable options without causing real harm to our instructional program. Yes, there are long-term savings possibilities in the examination of closing schools, but that cannot happen before the start of our next school year, and the community may not accept that.
The district must reconsider how we will develop, monitor, and implement curriculum. We must reconsider how we will support elementary learners struggling in reading or mathematics. We must reconsider how we will support student discipline at the high school, all while our administrative team has grown smaller. Classroom teachers face significant challenges, and the lack of intervention and curriculum implementation support will add to their full plates. We can no longer look to add more responsibilities to classroom teachers. This means I have run out of meaningful reductions.
If Region 20 does not have a new operating budget for 2025-2026, it will have to revert to the flawed budget of 2024-2025, which, absent significant reductions in spending, will begin the process of creating a second operating budget deficit. Region 20 must not repeat the past. Therefore, after July 1, I will be forced to recommend significant cuts to the Board of Education's operating budget to prevent such a deficit from occurring again. The projected cuts required for the budget to balance if we reach July 1, 2025, without an approved budget will need to total $1.9 million. Reaching this level without reducing educational programming and harming the schools is impossible. It would require eliminating up to 8 more classroom teachers, four more educational assistants, custodians, a clerk position, eliminating the middle school ASTE program, implementing pay for play, or a dramatic reduction in athletics. These are not palatable reductions, but they become our reality if the expectation is that we return to the current year's funding level.
On June 10, 2025, I will present the third iteration of the Region 20 operating budget. I plan to reduce our capital expenditures and seek grant funding for a portion of our capital expenditures. If the district is awarded the grant, we will make capital improvements. We will hold off on the upgrades if we do not receive the grant funding. This compromise around capital investments is necessary because we cannot further reduce educational programming. On the contrary, we need to discuss how our instructional programming might be enhanced, perhaps through seeking new grant opportunities.
Please talk with friends and family, learn about our budget, and get involved. The Board of Education will likely adopt a third budget on June 10th. There will then be a district meeting on June 17, adjourned to a referendum on June 18th, when the community will be asked to vote on the budget. The budget must pass; we cannot systematically disassemble the Region 20 Public Schools. Our students depend on our community to recognize their value, move past the chaos that has been the inaugural year for Region 20, and aspire to a brighter future. I pledge to do my part and work to improve transparency, increase accountability, and focus schools on what is good for children. I ask for your support in this valuable work.
Regards,
Jeffrey A. Villar, Ph.D.
Superintendent