HomeMy Public PortalAbout2018-06-26 Proposed Resolution - Special Education Stabilization Fund Process Resolution: Special Education Stabilization Fund Process
WHEREAS:On May 13,2014,the Town Council voted to create a Special Education Stabilization Fund,
and appropriated$790,000 for said fund,and
WHEREAS: The Town Auditor and the School Director of Finance and Operations were tasked to
develop a proposal for use of said fund, which would then be brought back to the respective Town
and School budget committees for discussion,review,and recommendation,and
WHEREAS: Both the School Budget&Finance Subcommittee and the Town Council Committee on the
Budget and Fiscal Oversight reviewed the recommended process,and
WHEREAS: The School Committee,at its June 18, 2018 meeting,voted to approve the recommended
process.
NOW THEREORE BE IT RESOLVED:
In order to assist the School Department in paying for Extraordinary and Unforeseen Special
Education Expenditures,the Honorable Town Council created a Special Ed Stabilization Fund.
The purpose of the Special Ed Stabilization Fund is to have reserves in order to provide resources
when Extraordinary and Unforeseen Special Education Expenditures are incurred during a given
Fiscal Year.
In order to activate a request to the Town Manager for additional resources in a given Fiscal Year the
following shall happen:
The Director of Finance and Operations will notify both the Town Manager and the Town Auditor
that the school department will exceed the current Special Education appropriation because of
Extraordinary and Unforeseen Special Ed expenditures to date as well as projected Special Ed
expenditures for the remainder of the given Fiscal Year.
The Director of Finance and Operations and the Town Auditor will meet to review in detail the YTD
Special Education budget and Special Education expenditures as well as projected Special Education
expenditures for the remainder of the given Fiscal Year. This review will include the amount
budgeted for Special Education within the school appropriation of the given fiscal year as well as the
previous two fiscal years of Special Education budgets and expenditures. Additionally, the review
will include all other funding sources available to the School Department for Special Education
expenditures including all grants and revolving funds. This will include all available Circuit Breaker
funding but will exclude funding from other school appropriation cost centers,unless surplus funding
is available in such cost centers at or toward year end.
After the review is completed, the Director of Finance and Operations and the Superintendent will
report to the School Committee on the results of the review. The School Committee may then request
additional monies to cover Extraordinary and Unforeseen Special Education costs. The Town
Auditor, working with the Director of Finance and Operations, will provide a report to the Town
Manager and the Town Council. Within the report,the Town Auditor will make a recommendation
whether or not in his/her opinion additional resources are needed for the School Department for
that given Fiscal Year. If the recommendation is such that additional funding is needed then a
recommended amount shall be included in the report.
Upon receipt of the report,the Town Manager will then make a recommendation to the Town Council
on how best to proceed.
If the Town Manager's recommendation includes additional funding be made available by utilizing
the Special Ed Stabilization Fund, then all state law and Town charter requirements for a budget
amendment will be adhered to.