Southington Schools Seek Budget Increase For 2025-26

SOUTHINGTON, CT — Nearly a year after the Southington Town Council approved a 5.71 percent increase in the budget for Southington schools, education officials are asking for more.

Earlier this month, the Southington Board of Education unanimously voted 8-0 to seek a $123,614,448 education spending plan for 2025-26.

That budget is 6.6 percent larger ($7.65 million) than the $115.96 million budget approved by the council in May 2024 for the current school year, a budget that was 5.71 percent larger at the time.

At a special meeting on Feb. 5, the school board approved the budget request, with its members admitting the cost of education is getting larger with too much of a reliance on local taxes.

The budget approved was the same spending plan presented to the board by Southington Superintendent of Schools Steven Madancy.

Madancy said the education budget was finalized with the most updated state numbers for education grants to towns.

While not a done deal, the amount of state funding coming to Southington, likely, will remain as proposed, for now, Madancy said.

"While I wish there was more relief in the budget ... there was nothing in there that scared me enough to say we're going to worry about 'X' as in a large, unfunded mandate," Madancy said of state spending and its impact on education.

A year ago, the town/school budget resulted in a 1.29-mill increase in Southington taxes, with another tax hike possible this summer for 2025.

Southington school officials said most of the increase was due to salary increases, benefits increases, and increases in transportation costs.

Any further cuts, the board said, would result in cutting programs/services that impact students.

Southington Board of Education Chairperson Colleen Clark thanked the board and staff members for their work on putting together this education spending package.

She said the budget "meets the needs" of all students in the school system, while also alluding to the requested funding increase.

"We're facing many economic challenges," Clark said. "With this budget, we do meet the commitment to provide high-quality education that the Town of Southington, our students, and our families expect and, more importantly, deserve."

With the school board sending its budget to the council, the spending plan will be subject to deliberations on that side of the government aisle, with a final decision to be voted on in May by council members.

Before the council votes, however, members of the public will be able to weigh in on the town/school budget at several public meetings of the council and Southington Board of Finance and an official public hearing.

For a report on the Southington School System's education budget plan for 2025-26, click on this link.

For the Southington School System's budget history, click on this link.

For the minutes of the special Feb. 5 Southington Board of Education meeting, click on this link.

From May 21, 2024: 'Southington Taxes To Rise, But Not As High As Before'