Bridgeport Public Schools projects large FY26 gap; finance staff outlines cuts, one-time fixes

Bridgeport School District Finance Committee Chair called a meeting on Feb. 6 to review preliminary fiscal projections showing a sizable budget gap for fiscal year 2026 and planned gap‑closing measures.

The committee heard a detailed presentation from Nestor, finance presenter, who ran through current‑year projections and a proposed FY26 budget that still shows a substantial shortfall even after identified cuts. "Please, please do not go out and run and say that the district is projecting $42,400,000 deficit. That is not true," Nestor said, stressing that the figures shown were gross numbers before gap‑closing measures and the planned use of internal reserves.

Why it matters: The district is balancing near‑term actions (program reductions, layoffs or attrition, and using the internal service fund) against structural fixes that would reoccur in future years. Committee members repeatedly pressed staff for precise accounting of which line items are one‑time savings and which would reduce recurring costs.

The presentation and key figures

Nestor told the committee the Instructional Support Services Committee identified roughly $1.2 million in savings by reducing or not renewing certain programs and resources. Committee members also raised the Relay vendor contract, which a…