Somers Schools Finish Under Budget As Ellington Covers Deficit

SOMERS-ELLINGTON, CT — Somers and Ellington schools finished the 2025-26 fiscal year on opposite sides of the ledger, with Somers reporting money left over and Ellington turning to reserve funds to cover a shortfall.

Somers Public Schools ended the year about $134,720 under its $30.48 million budget, according to a financial report presented during the Aug. 24 Board of Education meeting.

Two days later, Ellington school officials reported that their district had finished roughly $195,000 over its $47.92 million budget. The Ellington Board of Education unanimously approved using $100,000 from its non-lapsing account to help close the gap.

Despite the different outcomes, both districts finished relatively close to their spending plans. Somers' unspent balance represented about 0.44 percent of its budget, while Ellington's deficit amounted to about 0.41 percent.

In Somers, Director of Business Services Stephanie Levin said $100,000 of the year-end balance came from leaving a Somers High School counselor position vacant.

District officials had told the Board of Finance during this year's budget deliberations that they expected to leave at least that amount unspent in the outgoing budget. The remaining balance was largely tied to additional special education excess-cost reimbursement.

The Somers school board also unanimously approved $562,081 in transfers among budget accounts. The transfers did not authorize additional spending; they moved money from accounts that had balances into those that finished the year over their individual allocations.

Somers' final year-end figure remains subject to an audit expected in November.

Ellington's deficit had previously been estimated at $213,854, according to Finance Committee minutes. Paul Hendrickson, who presented the latest financial report, said the district ultimately closed the year about $195,000 in the red.

In addition to the $100,000 transfer from the non-lapsing account, Ellington will use roughly $95,000 in Open Choice funds to cover the remainder. The district will have about $171,000 left in its non-lapsing account after the transfer, Hendrickson told the board during its Aug. 26 meeting.

Ellington also finished the year with a separate $34,714 deficit in its school lunch program, attributed largely to unpaid student meal charges. State officials allowed the district to cover that amount with money already held in the lunch account rather than using general education funds.

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