NAUGATUCK — The Board of Education last week approved three budget transfers to balance the books for the 2018-19 fiscal year.
The board approved transferring a total of about $310,500 from salaries and benefits. The unexpended funds are the result of a combination of factors, including staff turnover, which resulted in some staff positions going unfilled for a period of time and hiring new, younger teachers at lower salaries, Business Manager Bernice Rizk said.
About $136,200 of the funds covered an overage for utilities, and roughly $120,560 went to pay for additional costs for transportation and tuition for special education students.
Rizk said officials were aware special education transportation and tuition would be over budget throughout the year. The cost for transportation and tuition for special education students can be volatile, depending on whether needs for special education students change during the year or if a new student that needs special services moves into the district during the school year.
The remaining $53,740 went to the capital budget to pay for work done to the HVAC system at Andrew Avenue Elementary School.
With the transfers, the school board finished the 2018-19 fiscal year with no surplus or deficit in its $62 million budget, according to unaudited figures. The board returned about $184,000 in surplus funds to the borough from the 2017-18 budget, Rizk said.
Naugatuck BOE, the biggest waste of taxpayers money.