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West Haven mayor discloses $8 million Board of Education deficit, orders spending freeze
Summary
Mayor Derinda Bor told the City Council that closing fiscal year 2025 revealed an $8 million deficit in the Board of Education budget driven largely by special-education tuition and transportation; the city will apply $4 million in surplus funds, enact a spending freeze and continue audits.
Mayor Derinda Bor disclosed to the City Council on Feb. 9 that the Board of Education’s closed books for fiscal year 2025 show an $8 million deficit, largely attributable to rising special-education tuition and transportation costs. The mayor said auditors later identified an additional $3.4 million shortfall and city staff are finalizing numbers before the next council meeting.
Bor said the city has recognized a $4 million surplus on the municipal side and will apply that money to help cover the school deficit. She also warned the council that, absent other offsets, the city may have to use an additional $4 million from the general fund and that she has instituted a spending freeze on noncritical, non-grant purchases to contain costs.
“Special education tuition and transportation is exorbitant,” Bor said, describing cases in which individual students require out-of-district services and lengthy transport that drive six-figure costs. She said the city received the Board of Education’s closed books only in December, which delayed detection and response, and that auditors have required adjustments the board had not previously made.
Finance director Mr. Gormidy (introduced in committee) told the council that while some city funds — notably the AFD and sewer funds — are projecting small surpluses, the unexpected education shortfall creates immediate fiscal pressure. The mayor said she and staff have paused discretionary capital projects and will press the Board of Education to identify savings and operational changes, including regionalizing transportation where feasible and reviewing bid practices.
Council members pressed for more detail on the $8 million figure and on the board’s fiscal-year-2026 status; the mayor said the city and the superintendent are meeting frequently and that a special meeting with the board of education may be scheduled for additional briefing and options.
The mayor emphasized outreach to state officials to seek relief and said she will continue to press for changes to state school funding formulas that she called “flat funding.” The administration plans to provide fuller audit figures and options for council consideration at the next meeting.
