The Board of Education approved both its monthly financial report and a grant application at its meeting on February 18.

The 2019-20 fiscal year is about half over, as school district Business Director Ron Bienkowski pointed out at the meeting. The seventh report in the fiscal year, according to the report, included a “calculated Excess Cost Grant offset estimated at 74.8 percent based on the initial estimates done by the state.” The special education Excess Cost Grant reimburses districts for some special education costs that exceed 4.5 times the district’s average per pupil expenditure, according to the state.

“The information reflected on this grant, you have to keep in mind, is it actually represents about $357,000 more than what we had budgeted,” Mr Bienkowski explained, adding that it is offsetting the anticipated balance.

The monthly report included a reminder that the Excess Cost Grant reimbursement amount can change before it is distributed by the state.

“The increased Excess Cost Grant is primarily responsible for our positive balance taking overall financial activities into account at this time,” the report reads. “We are optimistic that these balances will hold until the end of the year, and may even improve.”

The report also highlighted approximately $160,000 in increased costs associated with special education out of district “commitments from mediated agreements,” and emergency repairs of more than $5,000 completed in the month. Those emergency repairs included a rooftop heat wheel motor replacement at Head O’ Meadow Elementary School for $5,680 and $27,914 to replace glycol used in the heating system to prevent pipes from freezing at Newtown High School.

“The budget will continue to be closely monitored with any further impacts being shared as appropriate,” the report reads.

Mr Bienkowski told board members, “Overall I think we are in pretty good condition.”

Grant Application

District Grant Coordinator Kristin Larson and NHS Business Education Applied Tech (BEAT) Department Chair Erik Holst-Grubbe later presented to the board a grant application that the district would like to apply for.

Superintendent of Schools Dr Lorrie Rodrigue explained the Perkins IV Career and Technology Education Secondary Supplemental Grant was developed from state funds and recently offered to high schools that have at least 40 students enrolled in a business and applied technology class. At Newtown High School, Dr Rodrigue continued, more than 57 percent of students take those types of courses.

Ms Larson, Mr Holste-Grubbe, and NHS School to Career Coordinator Peg Ragaini are working together on the grant application. Ms Larson explained earning approval from the school board was part of the requirements for the grant application process.

Dr Rodrigue said the grant, if approved for Newtown, would support NHS’s robotics curriculum, future curriculum, site licensing for software, technology, and staff training.

A description for the grant proposal submitted to the board explained, “The proposal is sustainable because it is focused on modernizing existing curriculum and technology. It is expanding opportunities for students without increasing the number of classes . . . We estimate the grant request will be approximately $50,000.”

The school board voted unanimously to support the grant application.

Also at the meeting, board members discussed policies that are expected to come up again at a future meeting, how the correspondence report portion of the meeting is shared with the board, and meeting minutes.