BOE Covers Much Ground, From Budget Reporting to Enrollment Numbers

Students are getting ready to head back to Stafford Public Schools, and last week, the Board of Education (BOE) met and tackled an array of housekeeping issues. From something as simple as a $2,700 bill for taking down trees at West Stafford School – that had board member Aaron Hoffman questioning when maintenance issues like these crossed over into town territory – to the ongoing questions around the self-insurance fund, there was a lot of ground to cover.

Going forward, Superintendent of Schools Scott Sugarman is implementing changes in how health insurance claims are paid and in the presentation of budget information at meetings. Here’s a breakdown of changes that the average citizen probably never would have noticed but that made up a good portion of the meeting discussion:

• Budget Reporting – Sugarman proposed a move away from presenting individual payments and purchases to the Board of Education (BOE) through Accounts Payable (AP) vouchers. Instead, he suggested focusing on the monthly BOE report that details Object Code expenditures. Since the BOE uses Object Code information for budget preparation, he explained that this shift would provide an ongoing overview of budgeted amounts compared to actual expenditures and enhance the transparency of quarterly reconciliations. 

• Self-Insurance Reporting – Sugarman reported that he recently met with One-Digital, the district’s insurance broker, to discuss the need for a clear and transparent monthly report for the BOE. He further explained that the information provided by the town includes two costs for the Self-Insurance Fund that inaccurately suggest the account is currently running in a deficit. Specifically, the Town's report incorporates the reserve for Incurred But Not Reported (IBNR) costs and a $500,000 amount they consider owed back to them. However, Mr. Sugarman noted that these two components should not be included when assessing the current status of the reserve funds. (Later in the meeting, the BOE voted to approve the plan set forth at a previous Board of Finance meeting to pay back most of the $500,000.)

• Self-Insurance Processes – Regarding the Self-Insurance plan, Sugarman explained that the current process involves the town’s finance director contacting the superintendent whenever an invoice is charged to the account. Sugarman then approves a specific amount to be transferred to cover the invoice. As teachers come back to school, and employee contributions start hitting the fund, Sugarman said that the intent is to deposit additional appropriated funds into the account, to avoid the need to pay invoices one at a time. Later in the meeting, he reported that he is assisting in the creation of a policy to govern the Self-Insurance Fund. He added that the agreement will include state statutes that define roles and responsibilities that govern these types of funds and transactions.

• Staffing Reports – Staffing continues to be an issue, as illustrated by the resignation of the Stafford Elementary School/Stafford Middle School music teacher at the beginning of the meeting. Going forward, Sugarman explained he intends to provide monthly updates, which will also be used to reconcile salary budget lines and to assess long-term vacancies. During this discussion, Hoffman said, he was “disappointed… that we are replacing the music position two weeks before school starts.” This position was, as you may recall, a point of much discussion during the budget debates. 

In addition to these changes that will mostly impact BOE meetings and reports, there were a few other items on the agenda that more directly impact Stafford's residents.

• Preliminary Enrollment – As the first day of school draws near, enrollment numbers are still in flux. He noted that last year, when the schools reported their official enrollment numbers in October, there were 1,255 students, but by June, there were 1,293 students. He said that the enrollment numbers for incoming freshmen were lower than expected; they were expecting about 90 students, and the number is currently about 30 fewer than anticipated. Despite this, there is an overall increase from last year’s starting point. The current unofficial numbers are 1,264 students in the district. Given that Stafford students have many other options for high school, the incoming freshmen class frequently fluctuates as students who initially decide to leave the district “realize it may not have been for them,” according to Sugarman. Whatever the case may be, Sugarman says it is too early to make any decisions based on the incoming student numbers.

• Parent Square – Speaking of enrollment: the schools are switching over from one communication platform to another, and as of the meeting, about 700 families had signed up for the new one, Parent Square. Efforts to get people registered are ongoing, so if you haven’t already done so, it’s time to register.

• School Lunch Program Changes – Sugarman said that changes in school lunch costs were not effectively communicated, and he is working with Food Services to ensure the new application process for Free and Reduced Lunch is shared with families. In the meantime, here are the new costs that were implemented earlier this summer:

  • $4 lunch at SMS and SHS

  • $3.75 lunch at SES

  • $2 breakfast at all schools