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Burrillville school leaders say rising transport, placement and pension costs will tap reserves
Summary
Superintendent outlined roughly $370,000 in expected FY25 overages driven by transportation for students experiencing homelessness, out‑of‑district special‑education placements and a state pension contribution increase; the district will use designated and undesignated funds in the short term and consider options for FY26.
Burrillville Superintendent (identified in the meeting as Dr. Slido) told the school committee on Jan. 14 that the district faces mounting unanticipated costs this fiscal year and plans to draw on reserve accounts to avoid a deficit. "So between the pension, the out-of-district tuition, and the transportation budget overage, we're anticipating about $370,000 that we'll be using from our undesignated funds," Dr. Slido said.
Dr. Slido listed three primary drivers: escalating transportation expenses for students housed in shelters or living out of district, increased placements for students with special needs that the district cannot serve in-house, and an unbudgeted state pension rate increase (estimated in the meeting at about $148,000). He told the committee the district intends to use roughly $160,000 from a designated transportation fund and tap a $200,000 restricted out-of-district tuition account, leaving a reduced undesignated balance.
Committee members asked for details and potential state support. A member asked how many students the shelter placement involved; Dr. Slido replied the count fluctuated "somewhere between 7 and 9." The superintendent said the district applied for and received a $75,000 state grant, but that sum is small compared with monthly transport costs, which he estimated at about $25,000–$28,000 for shelter placements.
Dr. Slido described federal McKinney-Vento protections that require districts to transport students to their district of origin while living in a nonpermanent residence, and said statewide route studies are underway to seek efficiencies. He also said the district has asked DATCO to evaluate whether district-provided runs could reduce costs.
The committee did not vote on new budget policy at the meeting; members discussed forming ad hoc work to explore long-term options. The superintendent said the district will manage the FY25 shortfall using available reserve funds while planning for FY26.
