SOUTH DEERFIELD — Ahead of the March public hearing, Frontier Regional School administrators pitched their fiscal year 2026 draft budget to the full School Committee Tuesday evening.

Director of Business Administration Shelley Poreda outlined the draft $13.29 million general budget, which represents an approximate 2.32% or $301,888 increase over FY25’s figures. Poreda said it is “strictly a level-service” budget that covers existing programs, staffing and student needs, while factoring in a $174,312 increase in health insurance costs through the Hampshire County Group Insurance Trust — something many districts in the region are having to contend with.

To offset the insurance and other costs, the district will bring in $100,000 of rural aid and School Choice funds to prevent a 3.86% increase over FY25’s numbers. Frontier will also not assess any capital projects to the towns this year, nor are there any assessments for debt service, as the district has paid off its debts.

“It doesn’t seem like a lot of money … but when we get to looking at the assessments and talking about what the impact to our towns is, it does have a much more significant effect,” Poreda said of the rural aid and School Choice funds. “We’re doing our best to make fiscally responsible decisions and keep things as low as we can.”

In terms of town assessments, three of the four towns are seeing big increases, while Conway will escape with a $193,513, or 11.51%, decrease from FY25. Assessments are determined by the state’s required contributions — calculated by a formula using enrollment, property values, resident income and other data.

Sunderland will see the brunt of the assessment increases, with a $222,246, or 9.39%, increase. Deerfield and Whately will see increases of $201,600, or 4.51%, and $60,402, or 5.86%, respectively.

“Conway, the state says, cannot afford to pay at the capacity it has in the past,” Poreda said. “They either have a significant change in property values or, likely, they may have had some very wealthy residents move out of town.”

Those increases were previously higher, but Poreda said the district is continuing its practice of using $200,000 in excess and deficiency funds and then applying an additional $100,000 in rural aid and $100,000 in School Choice funds to “bring down the burden on taxpayers,” according to Superintendent Darius Modestow. Excess and deficiency is the balance, whether positive or negative, in a district’s general fund at the end of a fiscal year.

While the assessments are painful, particularly for Sunderland, School Committee member Keith McFarland, who represents the town, said it is a “thoughtful budget” that is “trying to help the towns as much as possible.”

“This budget was formulated with an eye toward trying to do as much as possible for the towns,” McFarland, who serves on the Budget Subcommittee, said, noting that the lack of capital assessments and debt service is a huge help. “I think there is an eye toward understanding what the elementary school budgets are and trying to get the towns in the best position to be supported.”

The School Committee voted to send the draft budget to its March 4 public hearing, where folks in each of the four towns can provide feedback. The budget is expected to be voted on by the School Committee on March 6.

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com.