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School committee approves transfers to cover special-education tuition and transportation shortfalls
Summary
The committee approved a fiscal-year-2025 budget transfer moving $1,000,000 to special-education tuitions and $1,000,000 to special-education transportation, funded by a $1.6M salary surplus and $400,000 from natural-gas savings.
The School Committee approved a midyear FY2025 budget transfer on May 7 to cover shortfalls in special-education tuition and transportation costs.
Chief financial staff told the committee they were balancing a net budget situation — roughly $1.6 million in salary variances coupled with expense deficits — and asked the committee to transfer $1,000,000 into special-education tuitions and $1,000,000 into special-education transportation. The requested funding would come from a $1,600,000 salary variance plus $400,000 from natural-gas savings.
Committee members asked clarifying questions about the salary surplus and whether unused salary dollars might be used for additional educator hires instead of offsetting special-education costs; administrators said the variance resulted from midyear staffing changes, move-ins and higher-than-expected special-education operational needs, and they argued the transfer was necessary to avoid unpaid obligations for tuitions and transportation.
The motion passed on a roll-call vote.
