As Jefferson’s K-12 education budget picture continues to fluctuate, the most recent numbers shared by school officials paint a bleaker scene than discussed in mid-December.
The Jefferson School Committee learned about an influx of public and private secondary students to town at their September meeting. The numbers have shifted over time, but recent enrollment figures and new state tuition rates put unanticipated expenses for those extra students at $123,522.17, AOS 93 Superintendent Steve Bailey told the committee Jan. 5.
The increased secondary student expenses are lower than originally predicted, however, unanticipated special education costs have grown to just over $100,000, according to AOS 93 Business Manager Kati Hunt.
The district is also anticipated to owe $37,712 in unbudgeted MaineCare seed payments to the state for two quarters, Hunt said. Those funds cover costs for certain services, such as physical, occupational, or behavioral therapy, for special education students in programs outside the school district, Bailey said previously.
School officials have identified a little over $29,000 in unanticipated revenues – reimbursement of certain unexpended funds from the last school year and special education payments from the state – and have also been eying a $130,000 undesignated fund balance left over from the last school year to possibly help cover the expenses. Voters would have to approve any increase to the budget and appropriation of the funds.
Even if the use of the revenues and fund balance are approved, adding them together with anticipated savings officials have identified in the current budget still leaves $43,079 in unfunded expenses, according to estimates.
In December 2014, officials had estimated the total shortfall at about $131,000, just over the total undesignated fund balance.
According to Bailey, the school committee can wait until its next regular Feb. 2 meeting before deciding whether to pursue bringing a proposal to the voters for approval, and said he would bring up-to-date information on the issue to that meeting.
Waiting until February would still allow enough time for the necessary meetings in a supplementary budget process, including holding a budget validation referendum on March 31, the same day as Jefferson’s annual town meeting referendum, Bailey said.
