When is a projected deficit good news?
Well, how about when it’s smaller than a bigger projected deficit?
Julie Kirrane, finance director for the Bedford schools, delivered two doses of this “good” deficit news in her mid-year budget report to the School Committee Tuesday night:
Projected unbudgeted Covid-19 “recovery” expenses total about $685,000. Kirrane said it is expected that $391,000 will be reimbursed through the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The schools will seek a reserve fund transfer for the remaining $291,000. The reserve originally included $1.9 million for Covid recovery; Special Town Meeting last November reduced it by $700,000 but the current Covid recovery balance remains at more than $1 million.
Out-of-district tuition expenses for students with special learning needs are projected to exceed the budget by $389,000. However, Bedford’s 2021 Annual Town Meeting had approved a $450,000 reserve in anticipation of this need.
The overall fiscal 2022 education budget shows a projected deficit of $326,762, Kirrane said, but when factoring in the out-of-district tuition overrun—which she said was expected— it’s actually a projected surplus of around $62,000.
That’s manifested under the salary line, ahead of budget by about $104,000. Salaries, she said, comprise 80 percent of the budget.
Operating expenses are projected in the red by $69,500. Kirrane said this is because the school administration had to contract for personnel to serve as teaching assistants in special education classes. “We turned to staffing agencies in a challenging hiring environment,” she explained.
“We are covering all of our student-facing positions,” Kirrane said. Savings in salaries also include attrition and some vacancies. She added that it has been harder to find substitute teachers this fiscal year.
Kirrane enumerated the spending that she anticipates will be reimbursed under ARPA to include additional nursing staff and hours, Covid supplies, and indoor air quality expenses. The town will have to cover one-year teaching positions, and some supplies and materials. “The reserve request will be significantly smaller than it could have been,” Kirrane said.
In answer to a question from School Committee member Brad Morrison, School Superintendent Philip Conrad said “it’s a really tough hiring market, especially for particular skills, but we are doing a little better than other districts. We are fortunate to be working with agencies for contracted services.”
Mike Rosenberg can be reached at [email protected], or 781-983-1763
Loading ...
