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Colchester Public Schools MARCH 10, 2026
Board of
Education
Adopted Budget
FY 2026-2027
Presented in collaboration by:
● Stefanie Tracey-Calash, Chair
● Christopher Rivers, Vice Chair
● Cody McNeely, Secretary
Colchester Public Schools MARCH 10, 2026
ROI on CPS Education (Recent Highlights)
● 98.6% of BA students participating in AP courses
● State leader in College & Career Readiness (CCR)
○ CCR Course participation of 98-99%
● District regularly outperforms state average in
performance and Accountability Index
● David Mason, Milken Educator Award Winner
● Successful post-graduate placements for students:
○ 85% college
○ 11% workforce
○ 3% trades
○ 1% military
2025 enrollment: 2080
2026 projected enrollment: 2137
*57 student (2.74%) increase
Colchester Public Schools MARCH 10, 2026
Definitions
Adopted Budget: At this stage in the budget process, BOE has voted to adopt a budget from
the original budget proposed by the Superintendent of Schools. We believe this budget
sustains our existing programs and services while remaining fiscally responsible. The word
“adopted” – for the sake of this presentation – does not mean the budget number is final nor
that the community has voted to adopt this figure.
Health Insurance Fund: This budget season there has been significant focus on health
insurance and a “health reserve fund” that needs attention. For the sake of this presentation,
we have removed the word “reserve” and instead will only speak to the “health insurance
fund” or “insurance fund” to dispel any misconception that this is a separate account where
we simply save money for insurance purposes. This is our regular operating insurance account
- shared by the Town and BOE - to pay claims and maintain our obligations to our employees.
There is no separate reserve account.
Colchester Public Schools MARCH 10, 2026
Comprehensive Budget Review
Process (so far):
● Discussions began 2/18
● 4 meetings with high attendance
● Board Members held Q&A sessions
with community members (parents
and sta included)
● Initial reductions include removal
of maintenance items, Admin
retreat and professional
development allocations, award
ceremony expenses, social media
contractor, and technology
upgrades (for 1 year)
● No teacher concessions or FTE
reductions are included in our
current, recommended figure
Total Reduction: $334,600
Colchester Public Schools MARCH 10, 2026
Comparison: Health Insurance
Funding in FY25-26 vs. Adopted
*increase of $3,226,570 in health insurance fund
Colchester Public Schools MARCH 10, 2026
Comparison: Complete Budget in
FY25-26 vs. Adopted
FY26-27 increase without insurance
$48,688,472 2.94%
FY25-26 Total
Budget -
$47,297,722 FY26-27 increase with insurance only
$50,524,292 6.82%
Colchester Public Schools MARCH 10, 2026
Proposed: $52,249,642 | 10.47%
Adopted: $51,915,042 | 9.76%