Timberlane Regional School District's finance director presented a 12-year spending summary on Oct. 17 showing that total district expenditures for FY2024 were about $500,000 lower than FY2023, but several operating lines increased notably.
The report matters because higher recurring expenses in transportation, special-education tuition and contracted professional services are ongoing budget pressures that affect the district's annual operating needs and budgeting choices.
Maria Watkins, the district's finance director, told the board the three principal drivers of increased operating costs were transportation (new contract and higher fuel and labor costs), special-education tuition (more placements and higher rates) and professional services (up about $1.3 million, with roughly 78% of that line attributable to contracted special-education services). She also noted substitute salaries increased because the district hired additional positions and used substitutes in the meantime. "The professional service line ... was an increase of about $1,300,000 comparing to from year 2023," Watkins said.
Board members asked how grant timing affects year-to-year reporting. Jack asked whether a project completed in 2023 that later received a grant in 2024 would show as a 2023 expense or 2024 revenue. Watkins said federal and state grants generally prohibit reimbursement for projects already completed without prior approval; for most grants the revenue is recorded when funds are received and applied to the fiscal year of receipt, and she said federal grants often run over more than a single fiscal year and have specific preapproval and anti-supplanting rules. Sandy (administration) added that federal grants typically prohibit retroactive reimbursement and must be preauthorized, with some local grants operating under different rules.
Watkins walked the board through a series of graphs in the packet and highlighted that benefits and salaries were relatively steady over the recent years but that operating costs spiked in FY2024 driven by the student services lines noted above. She said the report includes all district spending, not solely tax-funded operating dollars, because the packet includes grants and food-service spending to show total expenditures.
Board members discussed next steps for budget transparency. The finance director said the same materials were shared with the budget committee and that the district could schedule an annual or midyear report timed to the budget committee's calendar. Board members requested the district continue to provide updated financials at recurring meetings and to coordinate a workshop or joint meeting with the budget committee.
No board motions or votes resulted from the presentation; the item was informational with the expectation of continued reporting and potential budget workshops in coming weeks.