Colchester Public Schools

                         127 Norwich Avenue, Suite 202 Colchester, CT 06415 

Acting Superintendent of Schools                                 Assistant Superintendent 

jomeara@colchesterct.org                                              jkuckel@colchesterct.org

May 1, 2026

Dear Families and Community Members,

At the end of the first week in my new role, I wanted to take a moment to reach out and share how honored and excited I am to serve as Acting Superintendent for Colchester Public Schools. This is a community I care deeply about, not only as a longtime educator, but also as a lifelong resident.

I look forward to working closely with the Board of Education, Assistant Superintendent Kuckel, and our Administrative Team to thoughtfully address the budget challenges before us. Together, we are committed to making responsible, student-centered decisions while maintaining the high quality of education our community expects and deserves.

Equally important, we are focused on strengthening trust through clear communication, transparency, and ongoing engagement with our families and community. Colchester has always placed a strong value on education, and I share that commitment to ensuring every child and staff member feels accepted, connected, and ready to learn.

On Wednesday night, we met with the Board of Finance, and there was a great deal of discussion. We understand there was a significant amount of information presented, so I want to provide a clear summary of the decisions that were made.

The Board of Finance voted to send the 2026-2027 Board of Education adopted budget in the amount of $50,868,807, representing a 7.55% increase, to Town Meeting without further reductions. It is important to note that the primary driver of this increase is insurance, which alone accounts for a 6.82% rise.  The remaining increase is only 0.73% year-over-year.

The Board of Finance had asked the Board of Education to prepare tiers of possible reduction scenarios to share with the public in relation to potential mill rate decreases. The insurance amount will not change. The purpose of providing these scenarios is to ensure voters have the information needed to understand the impact of any additional reductions.

Additionally, the Board of Finance voted to move $945,000 from the Board of Education assigned fund balance to the healthcare reserve to help cover claims for the remainder of this school year.  This represents unexpended funds from previous years of Board of Education budgets going back to 2016.  $821,220 was also transferred to the Board of Education Capital Reserve Fund to be used for maintenance of school facilities.

The 2026-2027 budget reflects difficult choices, but also a clear commitment to our students, staff, and community. We believe it is a responsible plan that preserves the quality of education while recognizing the financial pressures facing our schools. Throughout this process, we responded to enrollment needs, maintained strong instructional programming with existing staff, made targeted reductions in transportation, delayed technology purchases where appropriate, and worked to thoughtfully balance our fiscal responsibilities.

The next steps include the budget moving to the Town Meeting on Wednesday, May 13. This is where the community votes on whether or not to move the Board of Education adopted budget to referendum on Wednesday, May 20. Additional information is available on our website at colchesterct.org under the Board of Education tab.

I am grateful to our administrators, the Board of Education, and the Board of Finance for their work and collaboration. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to reach out. While I am just a few days into this role, I am committed to providing you with accurate, timely information and to serving our community with care and integrity.

Thank you for your continued support of Colchester Public Schools.

Sincerely,

Acting Superintendent

Colchester Public Schools