Superintendent details position-control rollout, out-of-district tuition and other cost drivers in FY27 review

The superintendent used the finance subcommittee's May 14 meeting to explain a number of operational items feeding into the FY27 budget and described how a new position-control system will improve accounting accuracy.

She said the district is implementing position-control numbers in Munis to prevent salaries and positions from being ‘‘carried with people'' and miscoded by location or FTE. That, she said, will make future reports show the correct school and FTE immediately rather than requiring manual adjustments.

On special-education spending and out-of-district placements, the superintendent provided counts and state-set tuition averages: 106 students placed out of district (29 residential, 56 day schools, 21 in collaboratives), with daily tuition averages of about $863 for residential placements, $567 for day schools and $524 for collaborative programs; transportation is extra. She noted Brockton Therapeutic Day School has a capacity of 132 and the district is considering adding two classrooms to serve more students in-district where appropriate under IEP review.

Committee members pressed practical cost-saving ideas: using culinary students or JROTC for graduation breakfast or exploring CTE capacity to print diplomas, and cutting expensive plaques or rental line items. The superintendent agreed to research purchase orders and vendor alternatives.

The superintendent also attributed elevated overtime for school police to a staffing shortfall: last year the active patrol roster was well below budgeted staffing because of administrative leave, injuries and a midyear training pipeline; three officers are in academy training now and she expects overtime to fall as positions are filled.

Members questioned ongoing Munis support contracts and overlapping consultant work. The superintendent said a Munis contractor (Pam Woods) performs day-to-day system work and supports position-control and payroll functions that the district has been unable to fully complete in-house, though she agreed to identify consultant services that could be reduced.

The subcommittee requested detailed purchase-order and lease backup for items including postage machine leases, a Belmont Street lease and storage-container invoices so members can identify savings and reallocate funds where possible.

The superintendent said the FY27 budget still contains manual cleanup items from prior years but that position-control will reduce future errors and make multi-year comparisons more reliable.