Norwalk budget update: city appropriation restored 52 positions but school lunch fund faces $800,000 shortfall
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Summary
Finance staff reported a $4.5 million city appropriation reinstating roughly 50 positions and an adjusted general fund of about $247.3 million; the school lunch fund faces an estimated $800,000 shortfall after reduced USDA grants and lower meal counts.
Finance staff presented a year-to-date budget update at the Nov. 18 Norwalk Board of Education meeting noting an original approved budget of $242.7 million and a recently appropriated additional $4.5 million from the city to restore slightly more than 50 positions, bringing the adjusted general fund to approximately $247.3 million.
Year-to-date spending through the reporting period was about $71.2 million. Finance staff identified salaries and benefits as primary budget drivers and said the district had been able to budget more realistically for out-of-district special-education costs this year, though those costs remain the most challenging to forecast.
The presentation included a detailed update on the food services account. District staff said the reinstatement of the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program, city funding of $200,000 and an anticipated $200,000 from the Accords Foundation would help but not eliminate deficits. Two USDA grant awards came in for fewer sites than expected, reducing projected revenue by about $145,000 (fresh fruit/vegetable grant) and $280,000 (supper program grant), a combined $466,000 shortfall versus initial projections. In addition, lower-than-expected school lunch counts (partly due to prior public notice that CEP had been paused earlier in the year) reduced projected reimbursement revenue by roughly $400,000. Taking these components together, staff estimated an approximate $800,000 deficit in the food services fund and said Chartwells (the food services operator) and district communications are working to rebuild participation.
Board members asked about communications to families to re-enroll students in school meal programs; food services staff described outreach (social media, demonstrations of scratch-cooked menus, highlighting halal/vegetarian options) and refund processes for families who had topped MySchoolBucks accounts when CEP was paused.
The finance team said they will revise FY27 budget assumptions to be more conservative around grant revenue and meal counts and will continue to monitor benefits, grants and special-education spending as they finalize FY27 recommendations.