WRTC Newsletter- The Amity Budget

Dear Neighbor,

As you may recall from the two prior newsletters, there are a number of land use projects underway in our town. While these newsletters have focused on land use, this present one focuses on the Amity budget. As you will see, the Amity budget is built on student population, and Woodbridge’s continues to increase while the Bethany and Orange student numbers stagnate. As will be described below, Woodbridge’s Amity student population has increased ~1.5% since our last Amity budget cycle. With the proposed Amity budget of ~$58.1MM, this is ~$800k of increase in taxes to Woodbridge based on increased student enrollment without any budgetary increases. As will be shown below, Woodbridge is carrying ~7.5% Amity budget increase over 2024-25 at ~$1.4MM.

While Woodbridge should continue to be mindful of land use decisions, what else can be done to help offset this significant increase for Woodbridge in the Amity budget? This is a tightrope given our clear dedication to continued academic success at Amity. I propose three questions:

1. how is the Amity budget apportioned amongst the three towns;

2. what is the composition of the Amity budget for 2025-26; and

3. what should be built into the Amity budget versus a standalone referendum item? The below offers my thoughts on these three questions.

   
   

4. How is the Amity budget apportioned amongst the three district towns?

Here is the 2025-26 proposed Amity budget summary as apportioned between the three towns1:

As shown, Woodbridge props up a ~7.5% budget increase, while Bethany trends south of inflation at ~1.9% and Orange also at 0.4%.

This ~7.5% increase is $1.4MM in the Woodbridge town budget, which is approximately 55% of the proposed 4.95% Woodbridge town budget increase.

Woodbridge is shouldering ~78% of the total Amity budget increase amongst the three towns. Here's the student population data for Amity over the past few years2:

1 Memo from T. Lumas, Director of Finance C Administration to Dr. Jennifer Byers, Superintendent of Schools, dated 2/19/25, p. 2.

2 Data obtained from the Woodbridge Board of Finance.

Year	Total Amity Budget	Woodbridge Allocation	Total Students	Bethany Students	Orange Students	Woodbridge Students
2024-2025	$55,272,025	33.98%	2116	345	1052	719
2023-2024	$53,388,441	33.65%	2080	363	1017	700
2022-2023	$52,349,608	32.60%	2166	369	1091	706
2021-2022	$50,495,237	32.23%	2209	393	1104	712
2020-2021	$49,760,789	31.66%	2217	401	1114	702

Here are the net percentage changes between 2024-25 and 2025-263:

At present, the Amity Board of Education includes elected members from each town, including: 7 from Orange 4 from Woodbridge 2 from Bethany Woodbridge has 30% of the members yet 35% of the population. With population trends as they are, it follows Woodbridge should be in line to have another vote on the Amity Board of Education. The variability amongst Bethany and Orange is generally flat, but it is unknown what the future holds. An option to ensure voting amongst towns better reflects student population, would be to have equal membership of each of the three towns with weighted votes. This would account for population fluctuations, and is in-line with more modern regional board formats.

Furthermore, these town representative allocations are fixed with respect to all Amity budgeted items, including capital costs and administrative costs that are required regardless of the number of students. For instance, facility improvements and utilities are required to support the school and correlate to the size of the existing structure as opposed to the number of students. Similarly, certain administrative and facilities staff are required regardless of the number of students. Should these types of costs be allocated based on town populations or split evenly amongst the three towns?

Of the $58,108,299 proposed Amity budget, roughly 15%-20% relates to capital improvements and/or costs that are operational in nature (e.g., required costs regardless of student enrollment).4 This translates to roughly a $200k reduction in Woodbridge taxes if these types of costs were split evenly amongst the towns (e.g., each town bearing 1/3) versus Woodbridge having 35%. In a year where Woodbridge has a $1.4MM increase, $200k has an impact, particularly where that is ~0.4% adjustment to the Woodbridge town budget.

2. What is the composition of the 2025-26 Amity budget?

At first blush, a ~3.16% overall increase looks like a reasonable budget increase given inflation (e.g., assumed to be 2.25%)5, but some may be further curious about what the 3.16% increase entails. Over recent years, the Amity budget has been scrutinized for running at a surplus, using the surplus for discretionary spending on, e.g., capital expenditures, while returning some of such surplus back to the towns.6 It is noted the average variance over the past five years has been 4.53%7, which equates to ~$2.6MM in the 2025-26 Amity budget.

That is, based on a 35% expense allocation to Woodbridge based on student population, is $900k for Woodbridge. In a year where Woodbridge is shouldering a $1.4MM increase, this is a significant sum, particularly as $900k is 1.7% of the Woodbridge town budget.

$10,919,628 is attributed to purchased services8, and includes an increase of ~$850k (~8%) with regard to the February 2025 forecast, or a ~6.5% increase to the 2024-45 Amity budget.

While inflationary pressures exist on suppliers of Amity, perhaps there is further opportunity within this Amity budget to continue to seek ways to be closer to inflation (e.g., ~$200k to ~$250k increase). As an example, a $250k increase in line with inflation would lend itself to a $655k reduction over the February 2025 Amity budget forecast, and an $86k reduction in Woodbridge taxes.

The 2025-26 Amity budget includes $900k for capital improvements9. Should these be included in the Amity budget or should these go to referendum, particularly the costs for the middle school media center upgrades at $750k? As an example, Woodbridge and Bethany share a middle school, so a practical way to divide some of these costs would be to have Woodbridge/Bethany share their costs, while Orange pays for its middle school capital costs. If this were the case, Woodbridge pays $75k less for just these media center improvements.

3. What should be built into the Amity budget versus a standalone referendum item?

The Amity budget10 acknowledges bond referendums are on the horizon with one planned in 2027 for further capital items at each middle school. As described in the “Facilities Five-Year Capital Improvement Plan”, school years 2027-28 and 2028-29 each include ~$4MM of capital improvements.

The Amity budget also acknowledges that budget surplus has enabled ~$4MM for capital/facilities expenditures since 2018-19 (e.g., $500k/yr). While maintaining infrastructure is important, having transparency in planned infrastructure spend versus serendipitous spend may be further desirous particularly in a year where Woodbridge’s town taxes are proposed at a ~5% increase.

While a referendum does not come without cost (e.g., ~$18k per), asking for the public’s input for capital expenditures by way of the same facilitates Woodbridge town budget prioritization. This could be done as a separate line item at the same referendum for the Amity budget and avoid additional referendum cost. The Town of Woodbridge has further capital expenditures on the horizon, and understanding how to handle all of these projects methodically and in as cost- prudent a manner as possible is going to be needed.

What Next?

The Public Hearing for the Amity budget was on April 7th and further information regarding the same can be found here. The Amity Budget Referendum is May 6th.

While the above includes information I have identified, it is important that our town receives information and ideas from a diverse population, including your own thoughts reflecting your knowledge and research. Consider exercising your right to vote on May 6th.

Should you have any ideas or questions, please do not hesitate to reach-out. If you believe someone may be interested in receiving this newsletter, please share or let us know and we can update our distribution. Similarly, should you wish to be removed from these newsletters, kindly let us know (wrtcchairman@gmail.com) and we will remove you. Thank you for your time, and be well.