If you've been following Stafford Public School's budget deficit since December, you know there have been some ups and downs. In December, the Interim Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Laura Norbut, reported an estimated year-end deficit of $274,100. Then, in February, that deficit ballooned to $490,000 despite a budget freeze. At the latest meeting on March 24, 2025, Dr. Norbut reported that the current deficit is projected to be $241,777, which includes $100,000 to subsidize the food service department's deficit that was not initially figured into the total.
Generally, food services operate independently from the rest of the school budget, but when there is a deficit, the schools are responsible for paying for it. All Stafford students get free lunch and breakfast through the state's Community Eligibility Provision. However, at past meetings, Dr. Norbut said the district may have to reconsider which schools continue to participate in this program as it contributes to the deficit.
A memo detailed the steps the schools have taken to continue reducing the deficit and the expenses that have added to it. Note that over $152,000 from the schools' non-lapsing fund was used to pay down the deficit.
Additionally, Dr. Norbut mentioned that since the schools enacted the budget freeze, they have spent only $15,000 on instructional materials. To many, that probably still sounds like a lot of money, so I reached out to find out what is included in instructional materials and what is a more typical expenditure during the same timeframe. Instructional supplies include science lab materials; supplies for Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses (i.e., lumber, safety equipment, supplies for graphics courses, metalworking supplies); literacy supplies (i.e., consumables, book replacements); math manipulatives and consumables; art supplies (i.e., paint, clay, glaze); music supplies (i.e., sheet music, instruments for music class);
and nursing supplies.
Additionally, Dr. Norbut told me, "In the 2023-2024 school year, the district spent $165,282 in instructional supplies by mid-March 2024 and $200,533 by June 2024. This year (2024-2025), the district spent $144,000 in instructional supplies by mid-March 2025, and the vast majority of these supplies were purchased prior to the December 2024 budget freeze."
With just a few months left in the school year, Dr. Norbut said during the meeting that while she would continue to work to reduce the budget, she thought it would be irresponsible to say it would be eliminated. This is important as the Board of Finance has previously signaled that it does not want to set a precedent by covering the schools' deficit using money from the General Fund. While the door is still open to that solution, the alternative would likely be for the schools to bond money and pay interest, which would certainly impact next year's budget.
