Interboro finance committee reports $3.6 million projected deficit; board to continue cuts review

At the March 18 meeting of the Interboro School District Board of School Directors, the finance committee reported a preliminary general fund deficit and outlined steps the district will take to narrow it.

"The deficit was reduced approximately $455,000," the Chair said, citing an initial state funding projection of about $941,000. "So we are still at a deficit of about $3,600,000 at a 1.5 percent tax increase." The chair characterized those figures as preliminary and said the committee will keep working over the next couple of months to reduce the shortfall.

Committee members identified several cost drivers: rising special-education expenses tied to cyber-charter enrollments and out-of-district placements, increased technology and software costs, and modest decreases in transportation costs due to a reduced number of contracted vehicles. The committee noted retirement and staffing adjustments, department budget fine-tuning, and use of fund balance as possible levers.

Finance committee meetings are recorded and open; the board encouraged public input and scheduled additional finance deliberations, including a committee meeting on April 7. The board also reminded the public that the next public meeting is April 15.

Why this matters

A projected multi-million-dollar deficit will shape the district's budget decisions for the coming year and could affect staffing, programs or the tax rate if savings cannot be identified. Committee leaders framed the figures as preliminary and said additional analysis and options will be developed in upcoming committee sessions.

What comes next

District staff and the finance committee will continue analysis, refining revenue estimates and possible expenditure reductions ahead of formal budget adoption.