Council forfeits $1.3M repayment from schools, adds $285K to budget
Enfield Council votes 8-3 to forgive Board of Education's $1.7M repayment obligation and adds $285,000 to school budget. The termination of the Memorandum of Understanding eliminates $340,000 in annual payments due the town through 2030; the additional appropriation funds a fifth-grade instrumental
Town Council · Meeting of January 20, 2026
CT ENFIELD — Enfield Council votes 8-3 to forgive Board of Education's $1.7M repayment obligation and adds $285,000 to school budget. The termination of the Memorandum of Understanding eliminates $340,000 in annual payments due the town through 2030; the additional appropriation funds a fifth-grade instrumental music program, school furniture, and classroom equipment. Councilors Carol Hall, Marie Pyznar, and Lori Unghire opposed both resolutions, arguing the decisions should have been part of formal budget negotiations and questioning the BOE's reported $1.5 million non-lapsing fund balance and anticipated surplus.
Deputy Mayor John Santanella countered that the school district needed relief and had been underfunded for years.
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Source: the Town Council meeting of January 20, 2026, compiled from the official minutes.
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