Committee reviews $715,000 in one-time carryover and moves to accept FY25 revenue sheet; field trips and routine items approved

The Biddeford School Committee on April 24 reviewed budget carryover options and discussed directing roughly $715,000 in one-time funds toward capital projects. Superintendent Jeremy told the board the FY24 budget closed with carryover that can be applied to capital improvements; he recommended matching one-time revenue with one-time expenses rather than adding ongoing operating costs.

"When the FY24 budget closed, we had an x amount of money... outside of carryover and fund balance, $715,000 that's available for use in one way or the other," the superintendent said, outlining possible priorities including paving, playground equipment and upgrades tied to the district's extended-eligibility program. He urged the finance committee to prioritize items and suggested pairing projects where possible to lower contractor setup costs.

John moved to accept the FY25 revenue sheet with the optional capital-improvements carryover; John, Megan and Marie were recorded as mover/second/third. Committee members discussed dependencies on upcoming contractor bids for the primary school and whether some smaller projects could be completed quickly this summer. The superintendent said some projects (for example, addressing the middle school parking lot) could be initiated soon if bids and contractors were available.

Votes at a glance from the meeting (as recorded in the transcript):
- Consent agenda (nominations, appointments, resignations): approved, recorded as unanimous.
- BHS/BMS Odyssey of the Mind overnight field trip (second reading): approved, recorded as unanimous.
- APC overnight field trip (first reading approval): approved, recorded as unanimous.
- Motion to accept FY25 revenue sheet with optional capital carryover: motion recorded; transcript does not show a roll-call tally; committee discussion followed.
- Motion to direct the superintendent to settle nonunion wages (after executive session): adopted unanimously.

The committee also noted SMAC (School Maintenance/Capital fund) has a healthy fund balance that could be disbursed to the schools; the superintendent warned that if disbursement decisions are not made, the expense simply would not be expended. Members asked about mechanisms for communicating priorities to the finance committee and whether the board could revisit allocations after bids return.

The superintendent said that if the budget is approved by voters and funds are available on July 1, the district could move quickly to line up projects. The board asked the finance committee to vet the capital list and recommend priorities to the full committee.

Next steps: the finance committee will review capital requests, match one-time revenue to one-time projects, and bring recommendations back to the full committee.