Out-of-district tuition is $1.7 million over budget, with insurance, transportation and utilities also over. Members asked why expected CRAFT savings don’t show and why substitute costs doubled; answers are due at the next meeting.
East Providence, R.I. — The East Providence School Committee pressed the district’s finance presenter Tuesday night on why special education tuition and substitute teacher costs are running far ahead of budget, according to the East Providence EPSD School Committee’s published meeting recording.
The finance presenter, identified only as Mark, reported that out-of-district tuition, mainly private placements, is over budget by $1.7 million. Health and dental insurance is over by $1.1 million, transportation by $395,000 and utilities by $343,000, he said.
A projected gap on paper
The report put budgeted expenditures at 103,454 against 103,354 in revenue, which the presenter described as “about a $100,000 deficit.” He cautioned that the figures are budgeted numbers and do not reflect where the district will land at year end…