Silver Lake Regional School Committee Approves $45.2 Million Budget for FY2026
Amended amount includes previously voted E&D; Committee also greenlights $514,000 capital plan for urgent repairs and equipment replacements
KINGSTON - March 6 - The Silver Lake Regional School Committee has approved a $45.2 million budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year, addressing the district's educational needs while balancing financial constraints.
The budget includes $40.6 million for operating expenses, $2.5 million in circuit breaker special education reimbursement, $1.03 million in anticipated grant and revolving account funding, and $1.07 million from excess and deficiency funds.
"The $1,069,244 of E&D that offsets the budget is subtracted from the original amount before the assessment," explains the district's business director, Sarah Hickey. "The total amount that was discussed comes out of the budget during the assessment process, but just in two steps now."
Committee members confirmed that despite the revised language, the assessments to the member towns remain unchanged from what was previously communicated. The total budget vote now includes the E&D.
In a separate but related financial decision, the committee approved a $514,000 capital plan to address urgent facility repairs and equipment replacements. These funds will come from the district's excess and deficiency account, leaving approximately $300,000 in reserve.
"We have approximately $814,000 remaining in our E&D fund, and we have historically funded our capital plan with E&D," says Mark Guidoboni, who presented the capital plan. "Going forward, we're going to have to find other funding sources."
The capital plan focuses on urgent items identified in a recent comprehensive facility study, as well as addressing equipment that has reached the end of its useful life.
"We have an envelope of $200,000 that we put into general repairs. We have $32,000 for carpet. We have a 2005 vehicle that needs to be replaced," Guidoboni explains. "There's a lawn tractor that is 2004, 20-year-old items that at this point need to be done, and roofs, evaluations, and minor maintenance on both buildings."
The committee discussed the importance of maintaining a reserve in the E&D account for emergencies, acknowledging that the remaining $300,000 wouldn't cover major unexpected expenses.
"The $300,000 that we have left wouldn't even cover like one big air conditioning unit," Guidoboni notes. "Our towns have given us a verbal pledge that they'll back us up if we need help."
The administration plans to implement the capital improvements gradually throughout the school year rather than all at once, providing flexibility to address any emergencies that might arise.
"We're not going to spend it all on the first day of the school year," Guidoboni says. "We would come back to the full committee and say, instead of buying this, we're going to buy that if we have an emergency."
In other business, the committee approved a trial of a revised bell schedule at Silver Lake High School. Principal Michaela Gill presented a plan to test a new schedule that would incorporate academic support blocks while maintaining a fixed schedule for students.
"We would like to test those out in April to get a feel for the timing of things," Gill explains. "Worst case scenario, we have some academic support blocks the last term that could help our kids finish the school year strong and get them ready for their final exams."
The committee also approved exploring a potential new revenue stream through corporate sponsorships displayed during athletic event broadcasts. The athletic director is working with Hudl, a company that records games, to incorporate corporate logos during broadcasts.
"Any companies that we worked with or any ads would meet district policy and wellness guidelines," Gill assures the committee.
Other notable items from the meeting include:
- The district literacy leadership team completed a literacy plan and vision for the next three years.
- The math curriculum review group continues to evaluate new curriculum options for grades K-6 and 7-8.
- A tiered focus monitoring survey is being distributed to families, faculty, staff, and students in grades 7-12 to assess perceptions about participation in extracurricular activities.
- The committee approved the 2025-2026 school year calendar.
- The SLEA (Silver Lake Education Association) representative thanked the committee for approving a budget that preserved staff positions and student programs.
- The legislative agent provided updates on federal and state education funding initiatives.
The next Silver Lake Regional School Committee meeting is scheduled for April 10, which will be a joint meeting with Union 31.