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Finance committee approves year-end and midyear transfers to close FY24-25 books
Summary
The Norwalk Board of Education Finance Committee approved FY24-25 year-end transfers and July–August FY25-26 adjustments, citing special-education deficits, staffing recoding and a $1.5 million city allocation that restored some positions; the district awaits $3 million from the state.
The Norwalk Board of Education Finance Committee voted Sept. 10 to approve a package of year-end (FY24-25) transfers and July–August FY25-26 budget adjustments intended to clear account deficits and align staffing and program codes.
Chair Sherry McCready Pritchett opened the meeting and said the committee would consider the transfers together; a motion and second were made and the chair stated, “that motion is passed.” The transcript records no roll-call tally.
Budget Director Kristen Karsmit described the transfers as routine year-end cleanups that bring accounts to zero for auditors and state reporting, noting that most adjustments reflect turnover, benefit differences and coding corrections. “This is a pretty lengthy, year end transfer list, but no different than any other year,” Karsmit said.
Karsmit told the committee that the district had to shift funds to cover special-education costs — primarily transportation and professional services — and that the total of year-end transfers was “almost 9,800,000.0” as presented to the committee.
Specific midyear adjustments included moving reserve-teacher funds to add a fourth kindergarten section at Fox Run and Wolfpit after enrollment exceeded thresholds, recoding a West Rock science position to math for scheduling needs, and reinstating a paraeducator position. Karsmit also explained transfers related to union 'bumping' at Jefferson School to fund a behavioral interventionist and to place instructional-lead stipends into school payroll accounts once appointments are confirmed.
The committee approved a roughly $63,000 transfer from payroll to outside professional services to contract Alliance for speech therapy coverage after a staff member went on unpaid leave, and moved outsourced security-guard costs from a central operations account into individual school accounts to correct coding.
Committee members asked for clarification about a $41,000 facilities/technology overbudget line; Karsmit said it appeared to be overbudgeting for noninstructional equipment (for example, computers) and offered to provide more detail if needed.
The vote approved the FY24-25 year-end transfers and the July–August FY25-26 transfers as a single package. The transcript does not record a named mover or seconder for the transfer motion.
