R20 Presents Budget to Goshen Board of Finance
04/23/25
Attended: Chairman Ned Bixler, Vice Chairman Robert Valentine, Scott Tillmann, James Korner, Russell Murdock, Paul Collins and Alternates Carl Contadini and Patrick Reilly.
The meeting began with Chairman Bixler announcing a change in the agenda to begin with the Region 20 presentation. Acting Superintendent Kristen Della Volpe introduced a presentation on the Region 20 budget, highlighting enrollment trends that influence town assessments. Goshen’s enrollment trend was noted as decreasing, impacting its financial obligations. The presentation also covered projected enrollments at various educational levels, financial details related to tuition, and state and local revenue projections. The anticipated revenue from non-resident tuition was noted to be lower than the previous year’s approved budget.
Chief Financial officer Julia Cardillo provided detailed financial projections, outlining tuition rates and anticipated revenue from state grants and other local sources. The budget proposed for fiscal year 2026 was based on actual enrollment figures rather than anticipated increases. The discussion also covered the fiscal year's expenses, including staffing costs, capital expenditures, and debt service obligations.
Bob Valentine expressed concerns about the tuition rates for non-resident students, noting that they were significantly lower than the per-pupil cost borne by residents. He urged a reconsideration of the rates to ensure equity and financial sustainability. Additionally, he raised issues about the capital expenses and the need to manage bonding carefully to avoid unnecessary costs.
The meeting touched upon the financial oversight of Region 6, with Valentine highlighting that the district had spent beyond its budget without seeking additional appropriations, leading to a fiscal deficit. “The last two months of Regional School District 6” Valentine began, “we seem not to have any fiscal controls to the extent where we spent money we did not have. And more importantly, what we did is we spent money that was not appropriated. We proceeded to do the same thing with Region 20… You realized July 1, 2024, that the budget that you were given to manage day one was way out of kilter… When a district finds itself in a situation where it doesn't have sufficient funding for what they believe is necessary educationally it is incumbent upon the administration and the Board of Ed. to go back to its residents and say ‘I don't know what happened but we don't have $800,000 in revenue… Our school bus contract was under budgeted by $300,000’…But we knew that July 1st. That's some of, a lot of, quite frankly, the frustration of our townspeople and the townspeople in the other three towns. And to suggest that we didn't overspend our budget just is not reality.”
He emphasized the importance of rebuilding trust and transparency in financial operations, urging the administration to work diligently to avoid reallocating unused contingency funds unless absolutely necessary.
The conversation turned to the legal and procedural complexities of addressing Region 6's outstanding financial obligations. Bob explained that the Town of Goshen could not independently authorize payments for Region 6 liabilities without a district-wide vote. He highlighted the need for a collaborative approach among the towns involved to resolve the issue.
In the latter part of the meeting, discussions shifted to local matters, including financial requests from the town’s lake associations. Lake community representatives emphasized the ecological and economic importance of maintaining the water bodies, citing increased costs due to state-mandated monitoring and treatment requirements. While acknowledging the financial strain faced by the town, they stressed the long-term benefits of continued investment in lake maintenance.
As the meeting progressed, the board addressed employee health insurance contributions, noting a significant 48% increase in premiums. Bob proposed increasing the employee contribution from 5% to 7% over the next year, with gradual increases thereafter. This proposal aimed to balance the need to manage rising costs while minimizing the financial impact on employees.
The board also discussed correspondence regarding the management of the Library’s sinking fund, created from insurance proceeds. It was agreed that a small group of board members would investigate the matter further and report back with recommendations.
Toward the end of the meeting, the board tackled the issue of land acquisition funds and the possibility of rescinding Title 67 to revert funds to the general fund. Bob noted that while the townspeople could rescind the ordinance, legal clarity was needed to determine if the funds could be reverted as proposed.
After these discussions, the board scheduled a follow-up meeting for the next week to continue deliberations on outstanding budgetary issues and to finalize decisions, particularly those related to capital expenditures and employee benefits.
