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Board approves transfers, addresses electricity back‑billing and special‑education tuition growth
Summary
Middletown Board reviewed financials showing a $302,148 surplus through April, approved a $18,717 transfer to pay for a sports trainer, and authorized $314,055 from unexpended balances to cover Beeman Middle electricity and a first installment toward a $394,000 back‑billing for 2025.
The Middletown Board of Education received a financial update May 12 showing a modest surplus of $302,148 for the reporting period Feb. 20–Apr. 23, 2026, and a projected combined salary surplus of about $771,000. Finance staff identified three areas to watch: special‑education tuition (a projected increase tied to recent in‑district placements), rising natural‑gas costs, and higher legal‑services expenses.
The board approved a single transfer of $18,717 from an unspent non‑TRB coaching stipend line to a professional services line to cover external sports‑trainer expenses after the stipend position remained unfilled.
Later in the meeting finance staff asked the board to use $314,055 from the unexpended balance to cover two electricity items: $199,000 for additional Beeman Middle School electricity charges (January–June 2026) and a $115,055 first installment toward a $394,000 back bill for the 2025 calendar year. The motion to move forward with the $314,055 use of funds passed by voice vote.
Board members discussed the figures and asked where the remaining back bill and city reimbursements (the district noted prior payments for the city Park and Rec building of $279,000) fit into the calculation; staff said they remain in conversation with the city and Eversource and that additional accounting/settlement steps are pending.
On transfers and unexpended-balance uses the board recorded affirmative voice votes; the transcript does not include a roll‑call tally for each vote. Finance staff said final special‑education outplacement costs are still being assessed and will be reflected in next month’s report.
