Sunderland Selectboard hears 18 percent school budget increase, approves joint budget talks

Selectboard · Meeting of February 23, 2026

WHATELY — Sunderland boards grapple with an 18 percent elementary school budget increase and a $238 million vocational school rebuild. The Sunderland Selectboard, Finance Committee, and Elementary School Committee met jointly February 23 to hear budget presentations from Franklin County Technical School, Frontier Regional, and Sunderland Elementary that together paint a picture of compounding fiscal pressure. Sunderland Elementary School's proposed fiscal year 2027 general fund budget of $4.25 million represents an 18.31 percent, or roughly $660,000, increase driven by unbudgeted health insurance hikes and an unexpected $215,000 jump in out-of-district special education costs for two students.

Superintendent Darius Modesto told the boards, "We understand clearly what we're asking for is too much," while Franklin County Tech Superintendent Rick Martin presented a new-building project totaling $238 million, with Sunderland's share of the 30-year bond estimated at approximately $490,000 per year. The boards agreed to hold a joint Selectboard and Finance Committee meeting March 2 to develop budget guidance before the elementary school's March 10 public hearing.

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Source: the Selectboard meeting of February 23, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.