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Finance committee reviews New Haven School District's proposed $232 million operating budget; $6 million held as assigned fund balance
Summary
At its June 15 meeting the Finance and Operations Committee reviewed the superintendent's proposed operating budget. City leaders approved $6 million earmarked in an assigned fund balance for the Board of Education that staff say preserves roughly 71 positions but must be formally transferred into the district's operating budget.
The Finance and Operations Committee of the New Haven School District reviewed the superintendent's proposed operating budget on June 15, with district finance staff explaining why the city's final published budget shows $226 million while the district's request totaled $232 million.
Mr. Hernandez, presenting the financial package, said the $232 million figure includes about $20.5 million in special funds and a $6 million municipal allocation that the city placed in an assigned fund balance rather than directly in the general fund. "The $6 million equates to approximately 71 positions," Hernandez said, noting the money is intended for educational purposes and that the district will request a transfer into the operating budget during the fiscal year.
The distinction matters because the city's accounting treatment makes the district's operating budget appear roughly $6 million smaller on paper even though the funds have been approved for the Board of Education. Hernandez told the committee the $6 million was approved by the board of aldermen and the mayor and that the technical accounting classification is the reason for the apparent discrepancy.
Committee members pressed staff on the budget's largest drivers. Hernandez and other staff said personnel costs, special education and tuition, transportation and facility maintenance are the primary pressure points. Transportation, in particular, was repeatedly flagged as a major cost increase; Mr. Hernandez said the district has adjusted how transportation is budgeted for next year and plans to pursue additional mitigation strategies.
The presentation also showed non-salary costs rising in part because tuition and contractual services increased; Hernandez said the tuition line grew by roughly $2 million in the draft. He said some reallocations across special funds and the assigned fund balance created apparent decreases in salaries and increases in non-salary lines, but that the total resources available to the district align with the $232 million request once the $6 million assignment is taken into account.
Board members urged clearer presentation for the full-board meeting. Several suggested the slide deck explicitly note the assigned $6 million so the public can see the source and classification of the funds. The finance team committed to include a revenue breakdown and a concise visual on how the $6 million fits into the overall package when the budget is presented to the full board on Monday.
Hernandez and the superintendent's office also emphasized the one-time nature of much of this year's supplemental funding, and the need to continue advocacy work on the state funding formula to secure more sustainable revenues in future years.
The budget presentation will be revised for the full board next week; staff said they will publish a final budget book by July that incorporates the clarifications discussed at the committee meeting.
Ending: The committee did not take a final vote on the budget at this meeting; the superintendent's proposed operating budget will be presented to the full Board of Education at the forthcoming meeting and the committee will continue work on line-item clarifications and the budget book.
