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Portland school committee OKs $622,091 transfer to cover contracted special-education services
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Summary
The Finance, Personnel and Operations Committee approved a staff recommendation to transfer $622,091 from personnel to contracted services to cover vacant special-education related-service positions through November. The committee also reviewed first-quarter financials and new grant awards.
The Portland Public Schools Finance, Personnel and Operations Committee on Oct. 27 voted unanimously to transfer $622,091 from the district—s personnel budget to contracted services to cover vacant special-education related-service positions for at least three months.
Lisa Beck, finance presenter, told the committee that through September the district—s revenues were at 24.3% of the annual estimate — slightly below the 25% target for the first quarter — while expenditures were running at about 21% of budget. Beck said timing differences explain much of the variance: Adult Education and Food Service typically show lower early-year revenues because state subsidies and fund balances post later in the fiscal year, and most grant revenue is reimbursable and arrives after invoicing.
Beck listed new and renewed grant awards the district received, including a Perkins CTE Reserve award for $14,844, CTE industry-standards funds for $86,326, and an MLTI distinguished-educator grant totaling $191,108 over two years; she said the net of new or renewed grants this year is about $693,000 with $354,000 of carryover from prior years.
On the transfer request, Beck said the funds will cover contracted services such as speech and occupational therapy while the district continues recruitment, and staff expect to return in December with another request to extend coverage for additional months if vacancies remain. Board member Opperman seconded the motion to transfer funds after Chair Lance moved it; the vote was recorded as unanimous.
The committee discussion noted a statewide shortage of related-service providers that pushes some candidates toward independent contracting, and staff described recruitment and pay adjustments as partial mitigation strategies. No member objected to forwarding the transfer to the full board for approval.
The committee did not take additional budget actions during the meeting; staff emphasized that more budget clarity tied to intergovernmental agreements (discussed separately in the meeting—s MOU item) would help planning ahead of the upcoming budget season.
