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Norwalk finance committee hears FY25 year-to-date report; mayor trims FY26 capital request to $6.9M
Summary
CFO Lunda Asmani told the Feb. 12 committee the district is tracking close to budget year-to-date; the mayor approved a reduced capital package of $6.9 million after timing adjustments for security, computers and curriculum purchases.
Norwalk Public Schools officials told the Board of Education Finance Committee on Feb. 12 that the district's general fund is tracking roughly in line with expectations seven months into the fiscal year, and they reviewed adjustments to the FY26 capital request after the mayor reduced the district's ask.
Chief Financial Officer Lunda Asmani said the district’s original FY25 general-fund budget was $233,360,000 and year-to-date expenditures total about $126.06 million. "This is about 3 and a half percent more than when we were last year," Asmani said, noting overall that the current budget is roughly 4% higher than the previous year.
Asmani outlined major spending buckets: salaries are at about 52% of budget year to date (the committee member noted a spreadsheet formula error in a displayed percentage), benefits are at about 47% of budget spent and professional and technical services are running near 52%. He attributed a smaller-than-usual vacancy-related salary savings to lower turnover this year: "we will come in at about where we think we had budgeted for the year. We will still have some salary savings, but not to the extent that we've had in prior years." The committee was also told out-of-district special-education tuition and special-ed transportation are drivers of higher spending in the "other services" category.
On capital projects, Asmani said the board had requested $7.4 million; the mayor approved $6.9 million after reviewing citywide borrowing limits and timing for some projects. Asmani described adjustments that reduced the current-year ask: the school-security line was reduced (from roughly $5.54 million to $3.27 million) with the unspent portion carried into next year's request to allow phased implementation; high-school computer and lab replacements were phased so roughly 200 devices shift into the next fiscal year; and a social-studies curriculum purchase was reduced in amount and some purchases deferred.
Asmani said the timing changes were deliberate: "it is really just the timing understanding that, on the city side, they do have to limit how much they can borrow in any given year." He added that the district worked with City staff and the deputy superintendent to phase projects.
Planning and Zoning held a public hearing and is reviewing the projects for consistency with the plan of conservation and development; Asmani said he did not expect changes from that board before the mayor makes a final recommendation to the council.
The committee discussed next steps for the operating budget: the Board of Education had tentatively approved a FY26 operating request of $255,960,000; the mayor put forward a 4% increase that would fund $242.69 million, leaving roughly a $13.27 million gap between the board request and the mayor's recommendation. The mayor's recommendation and the council's cap will be considered by the Board of Estimate and Taxation (BET), which has line-item authority. The committee was told school-based budget targets will be set assuming the mayor's 4% recommendation and that principals will begin school-based budget development after the winter break.
Committee members asked for advocacy and public turnout at a scheduled public hearing; Asmani and board members discussed upcoming BET meetings and timelines for presenting the district's case.
