Special education costs have gone down in the proposed 2026/27 budget, Botelle Superintendent Kevin Case told Board of Finance members during the board’s monthly meeting Tuesday.
Even though the number of special education students (11) is the same, “the needs of the students have decreased,” he explained. “Most of the time, those numbers increase.”
Overall, special education for 2026-2027 is estimated at a total of $532,397, down $10,059 or 1.85 percent.
Despite that good news, the budget would rise $113,665, or 4.47 percent, school board Chairman John DeShazo told the finance members. The largest increases are found under contractual obligations to teachers, up about $25,000. The total increase for general education costs is $36,182, up 5.41 percent.
Library/media and computer services would rise $9,358, nearly 9 percent, to $104,499. The amount allocated for legal services is up $7,000 in anticipation of teacher contract negotiations, but consultant fees shrink by $4,000.
DeShazo said that the town’s portion of the $25 million Region 7 budget will increase by $81,170.
Case said he had gone “through every single line” of the budget looking for places to reduce it.