Savings on BOE salaries to cover shortfalls in other areas
- 16 hours ago
- 2 min read
As the end of the school year appears on the horizon, the district is starting to report on its projections for where its budget will land at the end of the year. At the May 12, 2026 Board of Education (BOE) meeting, Superintendent of Schools Scott Sugarman delved into two of the budget items that have plagued Stafford in recent years: self-insurance and food service.
Sugarman described the self-insurance fund as a “ball and chain” for Stafford, though he was optimistic that next year will be the year Stafford finally solves this problem. As of now, Sugarman said, the schools project a $165,000 shortfall in the self-insurance fund. Though he also noted the district received an $80,000 credit back to the account, bringing the original shortfall number down significantly to $85,000.
Meanwhile, over in food service, the current fiscal year-to-date loss is about $37,000, but Sugarman predicts that number will decline as the department has most of the supplies it needs for the rest of the year and reimbursements and revenue continue to come in.
On the bright side, Sugarman also said other parts of the budget were seeing some savings. According to the documentation provided at the meeting, more than $507,000 remains of what was originally allocated for salaries. As we've seen in past years, positions went unfilled—or weren’t able to be filled until late in the year—leaving much of the budget unspent. Sugarman also said that Sheri Davis, Director of Finance, has been able to reclassify salaries to grants. For instance, the Special Education Expansion and Development (SEED) Grant brought in a new source of funding— about $111,000 worth—allowing the district to reallocate those funds to pay for some staff positions.
By covering salaries with grant funds where appropriate, Sugarman hopes to be able to cover any shortfalls in the health insurance fund with what's left over in the salaries line items, and maybe even put a bit of extra money into the self-insurance account going into next year.
