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 July 9, 2026.
What’s in a vote? Nobody likes paying taxes, especially when they go up. Literally nobody, regardless of any metric. The RSD 17 BOE is responsible for a budget that drives roughly 75% of those taxes. That budget has been the source of contention for as long as I can recall. There have certainly been some unpopular decisions, some unpopular at the time they were made, others that are unpopular when looked at through the lens of hindsight. What they all have in common, though, is they were made by members of our community who volunteered to run for a seat on the board and were elected by majority vote by the rest of the community. These people made these decisions in good faith, for what they believed at the time was the best balance between the needs of the school and the burden it placed on the tax base, for nothing more than the desire to serve the community. They did this as community members who pay the same taxes, subject to the same assessments, that their decisions would drive. Further, all these past decisions are finished business, approved as necessary by the voters who chose to vote at the time they were made, and we cannot go back and change them. All we can do now is structure our current and future decisions around their consequences.
Our Superintendent, with approval from the BOE, has worked diligently to create a budget for the upcoming school year that reflects the best value of what it will cost to operate our schools under the assumptions made through decisions both past and present. The school year it represents begins for students August 27, or, at the time of this writing, in 49 days. This budget has been in development for several months. The board has committed to deeper evaluation of practices to find efficiencies they can bring to fruition in future budgets. They have worked very hard to find options for our aging infrastructure, best use of facilities, transportation, programming, and staffing. The decisions made so far are not necessarily permanent, but merely what needs to be done for the upcoming year, recognizing that they will be continually evaluated for potential improvements in the future. The current BOE is keenly aware of the balance they must achieve between exceptionally needy facilities, student needs, and taxpayers in an equally difficult economy. None of this is easy or popular, yet it’s for our largest asset, as bedroom communities, our school system. A vital resource.
So, back to my question, what’s in a vote? The current referendum is asking only if the proposed budget is reasonable to cover the cost of how the district will operate for the 26/27 school year, which begins in 49 days. Past decisions, larger state and federal requirements, completed contracts, transportation decisions, etc., while all valid concerns and worthy of scrutiny, cannot be changed in 49 days. The input for change on those issues is through other channels, throughout the year, as further information comes in, and future decisions are made. All meetings can be attended, and many have an opportunity for public comment. All that is being asked now, however, is whether this proposed budget is reasonable for this upcoming year. I think this BOE has delivered a well scrutinized budget that is very reasonable for the period it covers and the decisions it represents and therefore deserves a vote of support. However, you choose to vote, I hope it represents a decision of what is, and more importantly what isn’t, on the ballot for this referendum. I further hope that after that reflection, you will join me in a vote of yes for this budget proposal.
Jeff Sturges, Haddam
