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Brookline School Board authorizes up to $75,000 from Special Education Trust to cover year‑end overages
Summary
After a public hearing and public comment, the Brookline School Board voted to authorize the superintendent to spend up to $75,000 from the Special Education Expendable Trust to cover special‑education overages and avoid a year‑end deficit.
The Brookline School Board voted to authorize the expenditure of up to $75,000 from the Special Education Expendable Trust to cover year‑end special‑education expenses.
Administrators told the board the district faces a projected general‑fund expense deficit (about $32,600) driven largely by special‑education overspending. Staff reported the special‑education budget carried a deficit (reported in the presentation as about $420,771) and said contracted services and individually tailored contracted staff — including contracted paraeducators — were the primary contributors.
During a public hearing required under state law, Bridal Dennehy, a member of the Brookline Finance Committee, spoke in support of using the expendable trust and asked for clarity about the cause of the deficit. An administrator responded that individualized programming and contracted services led to the overage and that the administration is planning for those needs in future budgets.
The administration reported a current expendable trust balance of $292,297 and requested board authorization to spend up to $75,000 if necessary to balance year‑end expenses. (The transcript included an arithmetical error about the post‑expenditure balance; the correct remaining trust balance after a $75,000 withdrawal would be $217,297.)
A board member characterized the proposed use of the trust fund as fiscally appropriate given the nature of the overages; the motion to authorize the expenditure carried.
The administration said it plans to build the programming costs more explicitly into subsequent budget cycles and noted uncertainty in next fiscal year’s starting point because budgeting occurs many months in advance. The district also flagged that final year‑end encumbrances and expenditures remain subject to change as the fiscal year closes.
What happens next: the administration is authorized to use up to $75,000 from the Special Education Expendable Trust to address year‑end special‑education costs; the board moved the item after the public hearing and the motion carried.
