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Ridgefield committee reports $501,843 year‑end surplus; staff seeks $200,000 transfer to cover cyber‑response costs
Summary
At its Sept. 4 budget committee meeting, Ridgefield School District staff reported a $501,843 2025 year‑end surplus, flagged special‑education tuition as a primary budget risk, and requested board permission to transfer $200,000 to cover summer cyber‑incident expenses; formal action is slated for the full board.
Jill Brown told the Budget, Finance and Operations Committee on Sept. 4 that the Ridgefield School District closed the 2025 fiscal year with a $501,843 surplus after adjustments and transfers. She said special‑education tuition remains the district's most volatile expense because enrollments and service needs can change after budgets are set.
Brown said the district will discuss at the full board meeting whether to use a Connecticut statute that allows local boards to deposit up to 2% of the prior year’s appropriation into a non‑lapsing account for educational purposes; she noted that past practice has typically left surplus control to town financial leadership.
In an early‑FY2026 snapshot, Brown said salaries have already been fully encumbered while other large encumbrances — including the busing contract and pension/fringe lines — remain outstanding, and staff recommended a closer review at the end of the first quarter.
The committee reviewed several administrative budget transfers already processed: $2,384 moved within the high school from equipment to textbooks to cover freight for summer textbook orders, and $15,913 shifted from Ridgeberry projects to the high school for a ductless condensing unit in the high‑school server room.
Brown asked the committee to approve (for consideration by the full board Monday) transfers totaling $200,000 — $88,672 from Farmingville and $111,328 from Scotland — into professional services and technology to cover costs stemming from a cyber incident this summer. She said the district’s out‑of‑pocket cyber costs are currently about $186,000 and that the district’s cyber insurance has a $50,000 deductible.
No vote was taken by the committee; Brown indicated the transfers and the statutory question on a non‑lapsing account will be on the full Board of Education agenda Monday for action.
The committee also noted a PTA donation of $3,150 for a fifth‑grade team‑building enrichment experience; Principal Scaliz and Mary will appear at the full board meeting to present a larger Ridgeberry donation that requires a vote.
What happens next: the full Board of Education will review the proposed transfers and the possible creation of a non‑lapsing account at its Monday meeting.
