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.
Regional School District 17 has lost 151 students in the past three years, not counting the ones we lost in this graduation year, 2026. This is a rough number since the audit still has not been approved. Haddam and Killingworth are two small, rural towns that have a lot of people on fixed incomes who just can’t dish out another $600 – $1000 more. The schools are getting to be like the government: too big. The Board of Education could get rid of a lot more positions.
Their May 5, 2026 request was for $54,465,593; the June 20, 2026 request went to $54,077,593; and now, for July 15, 2026, they still want $53,639,170! The BOE can still trim a lot more from this budget! We the people say: Enough. Go back to the drawing board.
Deborah Gifford, Haddam
