Board approves $1.2 million in curriculum and contract cuts; district estimates $2.6 million possible next year

The Bridgeport Board of Education on Feb. 10 approved eliminating a set of curricular subscriptions and professional-development contracts that district staff said will save about $1,200,000 for the remainder of the 2024–25 fiscal year.

The cuts, presented by Marj Hughes, executive director for school turnaround, remove several site licenses and associated professional development. "To begin with, we're proposing cutting the $590,000 IXL site licenses and professional development for their usage," Hughes told the board. She also identified $400,000 in savings from Discovery Education, a $160,000 reduction related to a revised Khan Academy quote, $53,000 from sheltered-instruction professional development and $8,000 from discontinuing the Move the World program.

Why it matters: district leaders said the reductions are intended to close an ongoing 2024–25 revenue gap and reduce reliance on internal reserves. At the finance committee, board members were told that if tonight's cuts are approved, they would reduce the operating shortfall and help the district finish the year balanced. Board members and staff repeatedly cautioned that deeper, structural funding risks remain for 2025–26 if state funding does not rise.

Details and debate: Hughes said the $1.2 million figure comes from items financed through Alliance grants and the operating budget. She and other staff explained some contracts were shifted between ESSER, Alliance and operating funds in prior years; savings therefore depend on whether continuing payments are required next year. During discussion, staff clarified that some contract charges are one‑time or multi‑year purchases whose prepayment limits how much can be recovered by ending the service mid‑year. Hughes said staff calculated an additional approximately $2,600,000 in potential savings next year by choosing not to renew several multi‑year licenses, listing Relay, Carnegie Learning, Actively Learn, Ed Solutions, Empowering Writers and MobyMax among those being reviewed.

Board members pressed for specificity about how the savings were computed and whether they appear in the finance committee projections. Finance staff said the proposed $1.2 million is additional to numbers shown at the December 2024 budget briefing and that moving expenditures to allowable grant accounts will be done by journal entries if approved.

A board member noted the difference between one‑time prepaid savings and recurring reductions. "If you cut something this year, you're also that saving then accumulates next year," the board member said; staff responded that savings depend on contract terms and prior payments.

The vote: the board approved the package. One board member recorded an abstention; no named votes against were recorded in the public transcript.

What remains open: staff said they will pursue state-provided free curricular options where possible and continue discussions with vendors (including seeking credits from DreamBox for overlapping services). The finance committee intends to reconcile the cuts against the 2025–26 budget as negotiations and state budget proposals evolve.

Ending: District officials said the cuts are part of a broader push to secure recurring funding, tighten internal controls and pursue grants; board members urged continued outreach to the state to seek additional aid.