Ways and Means subcommittee recommends $155,999 carryforward for special‑education tuitions; $40,000 Beachmont playground proposal sent to full committee

The Revere Public Schools Ways and Means subcommittee recommended that $155,999 of FY25 net school‑spending eligible carryforward be held for the district’s special‑education residential tuition account and forwarded to the full school committee for action, and it forwarded a separate motion to consider allocating $40,000 of that carryforward to build a small early‑childhood/kindergarten playground at the Beachmont School.

The discussion began with Mr. Cruz, a district staff member who presented the carryforward figures, saying the district had originally projected $5.25 million in net school‑spending eligible carryforward and landed at about $5.47 million: “This is the important number to take from the first page,” Mr. Cruz said. He told the subcommittee $65,000 of the total had already been committed to a Lincoln School project because bidding had not completed before the fiscal year closed, leaving roughly $155,999 unallocated.

Why it matters: net school‑spending eligible carryforward represents funds that state rules allow the district to carry into the next fiscal year for specified uses. Subcommittee members said the residential tuition line in the special‑education budget is currently at risk of exceeding its appropriation early in the year, and using carryforward to cover that line would reduce the chance of a year‑end deficit.

Several members urged caution about spending the entire balance. “I would recommend … we leave this 156,000 alone, knowing that we don't know what to anticipate for the rest of this year,” the subcommittee chair said, citing uncertainty in special‑education placements and a tight budget outlook heading into FY27.

Member John Kingston moved that $40,000 of the unallocated carryforward be used to install playground equipment for the Beachmont School’s early‑childhood and kindergarten students; he seconded a separate proposal that the remainder be routed to the special‑education residential tuition account. Kingston said he had discussed the playground need with a school principal and with “Al Baker from the community development office,” and said Baker had produced a $40,000 estimate for playground fixtures.

Opponents on the subcommittee questioned whether net school‑spending eligible funds were an appropriate source for early‑childhood playgrounds. “Net school spending eligible funds don't cross over to early childhood programming,” Mr. Cruz noted; members also suggested pursuing grants (including “Kaboom” grants, which have funded previous playground work) or charitable partners instead of using carryforward.

After discussion, the subcommittee agreed to forward the recommendation to the full school committee for its October meeting: the subcommittee’s recommendation was that the $155,999 be available to address special‑education residential tuition needs, and that the full school committee consider whether $40,000 should instead be allocated to a Beachmont early‑childhood playground with the remaining funds applied to the residential tuition line.

The subcommittee also asked staff to gather additional information—written cost estimates for playground fixtures from the community development office, clarification from the early‑childhood director about program needs, and a more detailed accounting of the 9,000‑series (tuition and collaborative placement) accounts—so the full committee would have that information before its vote.

Next steps: the Ways and Means subcommittee will present its recommendation and supporting materials to the full Revere Public Schools Committee at its next scheduled meeting (the subcommittee identified October 21 as the target date for the full committee vote). If the full committee approves, the district’s business office will record the appropriation changes in the FY26 accounts.

No final appropriation was executed at the subcommittee meeting; the matter was forwarded for full‑committee action and additional fact‑finding.