To the Editor,
The goal of this letter is to clarify the school budget timeline/process and the financial drivers of the requested Board of Education increase.
On December 15, 2025, Superintendent Joe Kobza presented the 2026-27 education budget to the Board of Education. After several budget workshops, on January 20, 2026, the Board reduced the superintendent’s proposed budget by $250,000 – approving a $3.6M increase from last year.
This budget was presented to the First Selectman on January 23, 2026. First Selectman Rooney further reduced the budget by $1.6M, resulting in an overall increase of $2M over last year’s budget.
The budget currently sits with Monroe’s Town Council, which cannot make adjustments to the Board of Education budget. Pursuant to town charter, the budget will move to the Board of Finance by March 15, 2026. The Board of Finance can choose to reduce it further, restore funds, or make no changes. This final budget proposal will be the subject of our town budget referendum on May 5th.
It is important to note that recent comments from the First Selectman stating that the proposed Board of Education budget increase is “primarily due to medical insurance premiums and salaries as they relate to education operations” do not fully reflect the reality of what drives school budget increases in Monroe.
Healthcare and salaries represent the largest increase in the Board of Education budget this year, together accounting for approximately $3.2 million of the overall increase. Healthcare premiums alone are forecast to rise by 15 percent. Monroe’s salary growth for school staff has been among the more modest in the region, even as the district works to remain competitive within Fairfield County’s labor market.
While employee health insurance and contractual salary obligations are certainly components of the education budget, many cost pressures remain outside the direct control of the Board of Education:
First, Connecticut school districts operate under a growing number of state and federal unfunded mandates. These include special education requirements, compliance obligations, reporting standards, and service expectations that must be met regardless of local budget decisions or revenue constraints.
When mandates expand or reimbursement levels decline without accompanying funding, local taxpayers are left to make up the difference. For example, state support for special education costs that once approached 70 percent now often covers closer to 60 – 65 percent, shifting a larger share onto local property taxes.
Second, transportation expenses have risen significantly due to fuel costs, vehicle maintenance, driver shortages, and contractual requirements. These increases are driven by market conditions and safety regulations, not discretionary programmatic choices by the Board of Education. District transportation for Monroe’s students is now on the order of several million dollars annually and continues to grow as contracts renew.
Third, utilities and operational costs, including electricity, heating, water, property and liability insurance, and building maintenance have increased sharply in recent years. As of late 2024, Connecticut had the fourth highest average residential electricity rates in the United States, a pattern that also affects commercial and municipal accounts such as school buildings.
Schools must keep buildings safe, heated, lit, and compliant every day, regardless of enrollment changes or broader budget pressures, and these fixed facility costs rise along with energy markets and insurance premiums.
Finally, special education services continue to grow in both complexity and cost. These services are legally required under federal and state law, are individualized to student needs, and frequently involve specialized staff, transportation, and contracted therapeutic services.
They are not optional, cannot be reduced at will without violating legal protections, and often fluctuate from year to year with little predictability as student needs change and new out-of-district placements or intensive support become necessary.
To suggest that the budget increase is largely the result of salaries and benefits oversimplifies a far more complex picture and risks misleading the public.
The Board of Education does not control state and federal mandates, regional energy markets, fuel prices, insurance trends, or the legal framework governing special education, yet it must respond to all of these forces while maintaining educational quality and student safety for Monroe’s children.
A productive community conversation about the school budget must be grounded in full context and shared facts, not partial explanations. Monroe’s families and taxpayers deserve a complete and accurate understanding of what truly drives education costs and why responsible, forward-looking planning is necessary to support our students.
Respectfully,
Communications Committee
Monroe Board of Education
