Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board adopts amended FY2025 budget, increases special education staffing and child nutrition investments
Summary
The Norman Public School Board approved an amended FY2025 budget that raises projected expenditures for staff and federal program spending, adds special education staffing, and increases the Child Nutrition Fund by about $260,000 to reinvest in cafeterias and equipment.
The Norman Public School Board of Education unanimously approved an amended fiscal year 2025 budget that increases revenue and spending projections across several district funds, adds staff primarily for special education, and earmarks roughly $260,000 to the Child Nutrition Fund for capital investments.
Tyler Jones, presenting the amended budget, said increases to the general fund revenue included improved collections (motor vehicle collections and school land earnings), grants from the district foundation for STEM labs, and several federal grants including counseling and cybersecurity awards. "Some of our increases are mainly just increased collections, estimates on motor vehicle collections, and school land earnings," Jones said.
On expenses, Jones told the board the budget increases reflect new staffing and higher contractual and federal-program spending. He reported an expense line showing increases in salaries and benefits of about $3.9 million; when asked if that amount reflected across-the-board raises, Jones said those increases represent new positions, particularly in special education, and that previously negotiated salary increases already were incorporated.
The Child Nutrition Fund will increase by approximately $260,000, Jones said, to spend down a large carryover that existed because of universal free meals during the COVID period and to reinvest in the program. When asked what the child-nutrition funds might buy, Jones said the district is considering "reflooring some of the kitchens and some of the cafeterias, doing a little bit of a face lift on some of those other things, possibly getting some new vehicles for child nutrition." He added that federal child-nutrition funds cannot be used to pay for student meals and must be applied to program-specific investments.
Board members asked clarifying questions about the special education funding decrease noted in the presentation; Jones explained the apparent decrease reflected lower carryover spending as the district transitions away from spending ESSER funds, not an absolute year-to-year funding cut. The amended budget also includes modest increases in building fund insurance and interest revenue estimates and a roughly $300,000 increase in the district’s sinking fund interest projection.
The motion to adopt the amended FY2025 budget passed on a recorded roll-call vote with all voting "Yes." Staff said they will proceed to implement the budget changes and follow up with timelines for the child nutrition expenditures and hiring for special-education positions.
Ending: The board approved the amended budget and asked staff to return with concrete plans for the child-nutrition capital investments and a schedule for filling newly authorized special-education positions.
