The views stated here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the editors of this newspaper. We welcome supporting or opposing views on any published item. Received April 26, 2026.
On May 5, we’ll vote on whether to approve a 6.07% increase to the RSD17 school budget — a 10.4% increase in what Haddam households are assessed and 5.7% in Killingworth. Before we do, there’s something worth knowing about: the district is sitting on $2.35 million in a largely unused reserve fund.
I went looking for this number. It’s on page 77 of the Board of Education’s own proposed budget. The Reserve Fund for Educational Expenditures opened this year at $2,603,983. After spending $257,000, about $2.35 million remains.
The Board’s own policy — Administrative Regulations Series 3000/3110R — says the reserve should be funded at 2% of the operating budget. For FY27 that’s about $1.09 million. So the reserve is more than double what the Board itself says it should be.
In 2024, Public Act 24-45 broadened the rules. Today, under Connecticut General Statutes §10-51(d)(2), regional school districts can apply this fund to any educational expense by a majority Board vote. The Board could use it to lower what they’re asking us for. They simply haven’t.
Now look at where they tell us about it. The four-page referendum FAQ: zero mentions. The 16-slide Annual Hearing presentation the Treasurer gave on March 31: zero mentions. The 77-page budget book itself: one paragraph, buried on the last page.
Three documents. One paragraph. Coincidence?
Compare that to our Board of Finance. Last year, the BOF cut the town budget about 10%. The proposed FY27 town budget is still below the FY22-23, FY23-24, and FY24-25 levels. The increase is attributed to PFAS remediation and capital expenditures.
One body is showing its work. The other isn’t.
If the school Board applied just the $1.26 million above their own target — leaving the reserve at exactly what their policy says — a typical $550,000 Killingworth home would save about $231 a year. And the reserve would still be where it should be.
Vote no on May 5. Ask them why.
Eric Nunes, Killingworth
Very interesting! It’s nice to see this being reported.
Thank you! This definitely deserves more attention. Taxpayers can’t make informed budget decisions without knowing the true state of the public coffers.