Middletown schools report small surplus but warn baseline budget would rise 5.21%
Summary
Finance staff reported a current surplus of $301,403 on a $103,149,889 budget and a projected January salary surplus of $252,231. The superintendent said the district baseline (doing nothing) would result in a 5.21% operating increase, and warned that lower figures would likely require program cuts.
At the Jan. 13 meeting the Middletown Board of Education received a financial update showing a small overall surplus for the current reporting period and an early view of next year’s budget pressures.
Natalie, the finance presenter, said the expenditure statement reflected a $301,403 surplus — about 0.29% of a $103,149,889 budget — and a combined projected January salary surplus of $252,231 across certified, classified and paraeducator salaries. She said the employee‑benefit projected surplus decreased from about $453,000 to $167,000 after December transfers and noted a $65,000 deficit in the magnet‑tuition line as students elect out‑of‑district placements. “Presently, there are 223 Middletown students attending MadNet schools,” Natalie reported.
The superintendent framed those figures in the longer‑range budget process. He told the board the district’s current baseline — “doing nothing” and rolling forward existing programs and contractual obligations — would produce a 5.21% operating increase driven by contracts, benefits and fixed costs. “The district is at 5.21 with doing nothing,” he said, emphasizing that any outcome lower than that would likely require program reductions unless offset by alternative revenue or one‑time funding.
The superintendent outlined a timeline for the budget cycle: a draft proposal by Feb. 6, distribution of the budget book the Friday before presentation, workshops in March, a board vote on April 7 and the Common Council vote in May. Board members discussed timing and the logistical challenge that the mayor publishes a budget April 1 while the board plans a vote April 7; the superintendent and members agreed to coordinate with the mayor and Common Council on workshop timing.
Separately, the board approved small, targeted line‑item transfers (for a $174.81 CTE aerospace expense and athletics plaques) and accepted four prior‑year unexpended balance expenditures totaling amounts previously approved to be carried forward, including $18,354 to cover a credit‑recovery summer program shortfall and $50,000 for transition‑center alterations.
