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Westford School Committee hears FY26 Q2 report highlighting special-education, heating and transportation pressures
Summary
Director of Finance Jenny Lin told the school committee the FY26 operating budget is $69.39 million and that quarter-two encumbrances and expenditures leave a projected available balance of about $1.6 million; she flagged a projected special-education contractor services shortfall (~$343,000) and rising heating costs that could push facility heating deficits toward $430,000.
The Westford School Committee on Monday received a quarter-two finance briefing in which Director of Finance Jenny Lin said the district’s FY26 general fund operating budget totals $69,388,572 and that, as of December, expenditures plus encumbrances stood at about $67,732,000 — leaving a projected available balance of roughly $1,600,000 and an anticipated 97.61 percent budget utilization by year-end.
At the meeting Lin identified several pressure points. The district projects special-education contractor services spending of about $673,000 for the year against a budgeted line of roughly $329,000, producing a projected deficit of about $343,000. Lin said the vendor-driven demand for contracted services remains consistent with last year’s high spending and that the district will “closely monitor the spending for the remaining of the fiscal year” and return with updated projections in quarter three.
Lin also flagged heating and utility costs as an emerging risk. The FY26 heating budget mirror of FY25 was set at $800,000, but FY25 actuals were closer to $1,000,000. December heating bills more than doubled November’s and two January snowstorms added additional usage; Lin said quarter-two shows a $311,000 deficit in heating and recommended encumbering an additional $125,000, which could bring a potential year-end heating shortfall near $430,000.
On transportation Lin said route optimization reduced the district’s regular buses from 35 to 34, saving about $93,000 for the year. However, special-education transportation billing from an external vendor (DBUS) has lagged by several months, leaving the district without full billing data needed to refine projections. “We have to use a couple months actual bill to estimate how much is the daily cost for the transportation so we can estimate the proper level for the whole fiscal year,” Lin said.
Lin reviewed other variances: combined Unit A salary lines showed a remaining balance of about $676,000 at quarter two in part because of leave-of-absence and staffing changes; substitute costs remain variable with a remaining budget of about $327,000; and out-of-district tuition is funded through multiple sources (general fund, grant IDA240 and circuit breaker) with a quarter-two projection that will be revised when a pending $171,000 credit is applied.
Committee members asked how much the town’s timing for Town Meeting affected the district’s ability to build more precise budgets. Several members urged more lead time for billing cycles so projections can rely on current invoices rather than estimates. Lin said the district and town finance staff are watching the same indicators and will update the committee in quarter three when more data are available.
The finance briefing closed with committee recognition of the complexities in budgeting special-education services and utilities, and a request that Lin return with quarter-three figures when additional billing and reimbursement information is complete.
