Board hears finance, facility and tuition items including substitute pay review and referendum balances
Summary
Finance committee reported a review of the substitute pay rate, costs and risks tied to an off-site 'barricade' program, pre‑K tuition comparisons, referendum fund balances and upcoming food-service audit; board approved recommended finance resolutions.
The Hawthorne Public School District finance committee outlined several finance and facilities issues at the Dec. 16 meeting, including a review of substitute pay, program costs for an off-site special-education placement described as the "barricade," referendum reconciliations and pre‑K tuition comparisons.
Committee chair mister Calillo said the district is reviewing the substitute rate, which currently stands at $105 per day, to determine whether increases are needed to remain competitive. "The administration is reviewing options to see if we could increase that rate to make it more competitive," he said.
On the district’s out-of-district program referred to in the report, Calillo read financial estimates that the administration had compiled: annual rent of $64,200 plus estimated overhead of $290,000 for salaries and utilities. He said income from the program tied to one out-of-district student was $62,853 and that, with three students, tuition revenue would be roughly $300,000 before transportation costs. The committee raised the long-term risk that the district does not own the building and could face rent increases or sale by the owner.
The finance report also noted a referendum reconciliation balance of $334,696 and described Roth grant balances "of $120,000 for Roosevelt and $19,099,000 for LMS" as read from committee materials. (The board discussed the figures as reported by administration; the meeting transcript contains inconsistent numeric presentation for the second Roth grant figure.)
The committee said the district is reviewing pre‑K tuition (currently $3,000) and comparing neighboring districts (Midland Park and Wayne) where rates cited in committee materials were higher. Off-site bus storage and an upcoming food-service audit at Jefferson Elementary were also discussed.
Finance committee resolutions (A1–A8) were moved and adopted by roll call during the meeting.
Board members asked staff to continue analyses of substitute pay comparators and to explore alternatives for program space given the rent and ownership concerns.
