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Berlin School District reports $500,000 surplus, outlines technology and facility spending
Summary
Superintendent staff reported the Berlin School District ended fiscal 2023–24 with roughly $500,000 in general-fund surplus (just under 1%). The board discussed using the funds for technology upgrades, facility maintenance and PowerSchool training, citing savings in benefits, pension timing and lower utility and transportation costs.
Ashley presented the Berlin School District’s final fiscal 2023–24 results, saying the general fund closed with about $500,000 in surplus, just shy of 1 percent of the fund balance.
The district attributed the surplus to multiple, concrete drivers: lower-than-expected benefit and FICA costs tied to staffing vacancies, pension timing rules for newly hired employees, continued unemployment-cost savings, and a surprising reduction in natural-gas delivery fees. An independent phone-bill audit identified unused line fees and yielded additional savings. Transportation costs were also lower after the district began switching diesel buses to gasoline models, which reduced diesel usage. Tuition-line savings stemmed from shifting student placements and fewer outplaced students than budgeted.
Ashley described planned uses for the one-time surplus that align with previously discussed priorities: classroom and office technology (whiteboards, projectors, PCs and replacement staff devices), updates to STEAM labs at McGee Middle School, sound-system upgrades in elementary cafeterias, about 30 mobile Wi-Fi hotspots for students without home internet, access-control (key-swipe) systems, a secure entrance at the CCTA facility, gym-floor and bleacher maintenance across buildings, and expanded PowerSchool training delivered on-site to clerical staff, counselors and administrators.
Board members asked clarifying questions about the durability of these savings and whether some lines (for example, unemployment and transportation) might return to prior levels. Ashley said the unemployment surplus was not expected to recur at the same level in the coming year and noted fuel- and placement-driven changes could vary. She added that the district prioritized technology and safety-related items when deciding how to allocate year-end funds.
The district will bring formal spending proposals back to the board for approval as specific purchases are proposed or as capital requests are refined.
