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Millis schools project modest $50,000 deficit; utilities and transportation costs highlighted
Summary
At the June 9 meeting the committee was told the district projects an approximately $50,000 budget shortfall, is maintaining a spending freeze, and is relying on grants and transfers while noting large year‑over‑year increases in utilities and out‑of‑district transportation costs.
Millis school officials told the School Committee on June 9 that the district projects a budget deficit of roughly $50,000 for the 2025–26 fiscal year, a shortfall the presenter described as "less than 1% of our overall budget." The update noted a spending freeze enacted in mid‑March and use of revolving accounts and grants to stabilize finances.
Shelene, who presented the financial update, said grant funding "directly absorbed $1,338,396 in operational costs this year" and identified about $531,448 coming from a combination of grants (named in the presentation as S SOA/U student opportunity act, Title grants, IDEA, and a health services grant). She cautioned that grants must be applied for and are not guaranteed year to year.
Payroll timing contributed to a large near‑term cash outlay: Shelene said teacher final payroll is scheduled for June 17 as a lump sum covering five leftover pay periods that together represent about 23.65% of the year's payroll. She reported the district had expended roughly 78.06% of the salary budget to date, compared with about 79.45% at the same point last year.
Officials flagged specific cost pressures: heating costs rose about 36% year‑over‑year and electricity costs rose about 22.16%, driven largely by higher utility rates rather than increased usage. Shelene also said out‑of‑district transportation spending rose to $240,640 this year from $151,736 in FY25, a jump the district attributed to a shortage of van drivers that forced reliance on outside vendors. To manage transportation costs the district said it is collaborating with neighboring districts (including Medway) to share routes and jointly bid vendor contracts.
The transportation revolving fund showed improvement but remained negative in the spring: Shelene said the May balance was about negative $71,000, recently improved to roughly negative $35,000 after deposits; she said the district expects to make a year‑end transfer to close the gap and aims to be more strategic about offsets next year.
Committee members thanked staff for grant‑seeking efforts and asked questions about grant capacity; no formal budget transfers were approved at the June 9 meeting—final transfers are expected to be presented for approval on June 23.
