The budget referendum on 4/21/2026 resulted in the INFLATED budget failing! As a result, the Board of Finance met, where they agreed to cut a mere $750,000 out of the proposed $6.86M INCREASE over last year's budget. The resulting new proposed budget of $128,663,203 was still a $6.1M increase over the existing budget. It went out to referendum on 5/19/2026 and this new proposed budget also failed!

 

The Board of Finance met and decided to cut another $700,000 from the budget ($525,000 from BOE and $175,000 from the town budget). Next, the Town Budget Meeting will take place on 6/9/2026 and the referendum is scheduled for 6/16/2026. The new budget we're now voting on is just shy of $128M, which is STILL a $5.4M increase over last year's budget! 

 

Guilford Public Schools are being mismanaged and over staffed in the wrong places, and this is NOT the cuts they are making. If we are to make cuts that really matter, we need to defeat the budget once again. We will need your help to accomplish this.  We defeated the inflated budget twice, and we can do it again with your help!!

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Here is some very useful information on Guilford Schools.

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Let’s look just at Guilford High School.

Enrollment count is 946 in Guilford High School as of October 2025 vs 1009 in 2024. That’s 63 fewer students this year alone and this is a trend for the past 5 years - the decline is real.

Here is just some of the top heavy GPS administrative headcount for Guilford High school alone with consecutive year over year DECLINING student population. Fewer and fewer kids each year across the board and none of these positions have been cut:

1 Superintendent

1 Executive assistant to the superintendent

2 Assistant Superintendents

1 Administrative Assistant to the two Assistant Superintendents

1 Director of Pupil Services

1 Assistant to the Director of Pupil Services

1 Coordinator for Guilford High school

1 Guilford High School Principal

3 Assistant Guilford High School Principals

1 Math coach (coaches “coach” teachers)

1 Literature coach

85 teachers at GHS

GPS Administration Niche grade C+/B- (Source: 2026) it’s been C+ for multiple years in a row.

Madison is rated an A by comparison.

Note: Niche is based on survey results of parents, students and teachers.

Math proficiency down to 55% from 73% in 2019

The superintendent has landed an easy “income annuity” as the current BOE approved a 5-year contract with guaranteed salary increases each year using your tax dollars.

He doesn’t pay taxes in Guilford. He just raises yours - unchecked.

Until now.

The BOE is also to blame - negligent in managing your tax dollars. One question we should ask is why? With declining students why are there still three Principals at the high school with no proposed cuts in Admin?

Why 2 Assistant Superintendents?

Paul Freeman in 2025 was employed at Guilford Board of Education and had an annual salary of $315,809, according to public records.

This salary was 227 percent higher than the average and 222 percent higher than the median salary in Guilford Board of Education.

Asst Superintendent Goss $211,151

Asst Superintendent Hammel $208,123

GHS Principal Chaffee $203,223

GHS Asst Principal # 1 Rebhun $176,900

GHS Asst Principal # 2 Pudlinski $176,900

GHS Asst Principal # 3 Walker $176,900

All public info and these are 2025 salaries. They have had raises so it’s even higher in 2026.

Even though math proficiency is at an all time low!

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Here are some additional comments on the budget from Jonathan Trotta, Guilford RTC Chair.

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The GRTC and its committee members have bought to the attention of the public, the BOS, the BOE, and the BOF a variety of compelling suggestions as to how the the BOS and BOE budgets could be reduced.  Some of the most striking highlights of the budget findings that committee members have shared with Guilford residents include:

• The Guilford Superintendent of Schools shocking $341,808 total annual compensation

• The eye popping $1.4 million spent on teacher coaches

• The estimated $8.4 million dollar cost associated with GPS maintaining a student teacher ratio 25% below the national average.

Despite the clear message sent now TWICE by the majority of referendum voters the BOF has answered their request for fiscal restraint with only token decreases.  After two rounds of inadequate cuts from the BOF taxpayers are still facing an approximately $5.4M increase in spending.

 

The town committee has asked the BOF to limit the budget increase to this years social security COLA of 2.8%.  The BOF responded with a decrease that would limit the tax increase to 2.84%. There is an illusion that the BOF has in some way come close to satisfying the request to limit the spending increase in the budget to 2.8%.  But to limit the budget increase to 2.8% the BOF would need to cut approximately $2M dollars more.

 

About 25% of our residents are seniors and for those on fixed income they are forced to limit their household spending to 2.8%.  Shouldn't the town and school be willing to do the same?  When taxes and other expenses increase for residents by more than their real income their standard of living is sacrificed to fund the expansion and higher costs of government.

 

The GRTC's position on the budget in the absence of any meaningful reductions to limit the budget increase to 2.8% remains the same.  

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Let's tell the Board of Ed that these numbers are NOT ACCEPTABLE, and we're done paying for these frivolous positions that are not helping our children succeed!

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YOUR VOTE DOES MATTER!