Superintendent Cheri Burke addressed Granby taxpayers during her second superintendent’s community conversation on Feb. 27 covering the 2025-26 superintendent’s budget proposal and the projected plan for a school resource officer (SRO).
The Granby Public Schools’ budget is difficult to maneuver because there are many factors that keep schools running efficiently. Burke reminded people that, “The reality of our current budget is that it’s less than we need to be able to realize some of those goals and this is a time to reevaluate what the schools need to prioritize after looking at the most current trends.”
To work through the budget plan, Granby uses a plus-one budget style, where both the school district and the town look at what is currently in place that works, what is needed to maintain the strong attributes of the schools and then see what can be added to make the schools even better. When proposing this year’s budget plan, some of the topics included were the mental health of students to ensure there is a director of school counseling and a board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA) on staff, and teaching assistants to support the increasing number of state-mandated special education programs being created and maintained by the district.
Burke also advocated for additional grounds and maintenance employees to allow increased focus on the athletic fields and school grounds with the new CIAC summer season that allows athletes to practice with teammates and coaches in July and August.
Burke stated that the Plus-One Budget being proposed was a 5.67 percent increase over FY25. However, the Granby Board of Finance provided guidance of a 3.25 percent overall increase. According to Burke, this will be the “lowest increase in five years.” Part of the current budget proposal is to include an SRO to directly support safety issues that arise across the district. The SRO is an integral part of the school community because they connect directly with students and, “having an SRO able to form relationships and establish a strong partnership with the school district” is useful, Burke added.
Burke and Granby Chief of Police Scott Sansom have worked out how this would work in Granby public schools and identified the ideal characteristics of the candidate for this position. The Granby community was given an opportunity to express their thoughts regarding an SRO through a survey sent out by the district. Eighty percent of respondents said “yes” to the question “Do you think that there is a benefit from having a SRO?”. Another survey question, “Would you support a budget increase for an SRO?” received a 79.5 percent positive reply.
Community members asked if the SRO would be armed and able to de-escalate situations by being physical; the answer is yes and yes. The SRO will be armed because they are law enforcement but will wear a more casual uniform while working in the schools. When calming situations, if the student poses a threat with a weapon, the SRO will step in and manage this. Bob Killackey, a Granby resident with a background in law enforcement, told community members “The right officer can be an integral part of the school safety team and support system for students.”
At the time of this writing, the Granby Public Schools estimated budget increase is 3.41 percent. This budget will allow for the SRO. The budget will be presented at a town-wide meeting on April 7 and polls will be open for voting on April 21. For more information, please visit granbyschools.org